City Watch: Honolulu
Oʻahu’s Ordinance 22-7 (formerly Bill 41) expanded the ban on rentals under 90 days across most residential zones. Only resort districts like Waikīkī or grandfathered Nonconforming Use Certificates can host short stays, and fines hit $10K per day.
- 90-day minimums island-wide outside resort zones.
- 24/7 complaint hotline plus aerial sweeps for evidence.
- Hawaii Tourism Authority pressures OTAs to purge listings.
ASTRO treats Honolulu as both a legal and cultural challenge. Operators need airtight zoning proof and community allies or risk being portrayed as anti-local. Our Pacific desk keeps you briefed on county bills, state tax changes, and legal challenges.
Key constraints
- Nonconforming Use Certificates (NUCs): Only ~800 are still valid; transfers are heavily scrutinized.
- 90-day proof: Owners must show contracts, tax filings, and guest rosters that confirm 90+ day stays.
- Advertising rules: Any listing promoting sub-90 stays triggers automatic fines.
- Stacked enforcement: DPP, HPD, and neighborhood boards share data, so one complaint can snowball.
ASTRO helps Honolulu members reposition inventory: pivot certain units to furnished 90-day stays, dedicate others to member exchanges or sponsor residencies, and keep Travelcoin demand alive for shoulder seasons. We share vetted attorney referrals for NUC appeals, and run playbooks for testimony before the Honolulu City Council.
We’re coordinating with Maui and Big Island operators to present a unified statewide alternative—owner-run housing with measurable community benefits instead of speculative absentee rentals.
- What do members get? Toolkits, governance tracking, and a trusted exchange.
- How fast can we launch? Paste Markdown, run the pave script, verify.