STR rules · verified 1mo ago
Short-term rental rules in Maui, HI
Maui County (the islands of Maui, Lanai, and Molokai) regulates short-term rentals through Maui County Code Title 19 (Zoning), principally Chapter 19.65 (Short-Term Rental Homes) and Chapter 19.64 (Bed and Breakfast Homes), augmented by community-plan-region caps. The system distinguishes (1) Short-Term Rental Home (STRH) permits — unhosted, by community plan cap — (2) Bed and Breakfast Home (B&B) permits — hosted/owner-on-site — and (3) the 'Minatoya list' of apartment-zoned (A-1, A-2) condominiums historically allowed to operate as transient vacation rentals under a 2001 Corporation Counsel legal opinion. In December 2025, Mayor Richard Bissen signed Bill 9 (2025) / Ordinance 5909 into law, amending Title 19 to phase out the Minatoya-list TVRs: West Maui apartment-zoned condos must end short-term rental use by January 1, 2029; all other Maui County apartment-zoned condos must end by January 1, 2031. Hotel-zoned resorts (Kaanapali, Wailea, Kapalua hotel parcels) are unaffected. Multiple lawsuits filed in early 2026 challenge Bill 9 on takings and vested-rights grounds.
What's behind the sign-in
- Registration fees — initial + annual renewal cost, per permit type
- Permit caps + waitlists — exact cap values, current waitlist counts
- Owner-occupancy rules — days/year requirement, permit-class splits
- Zoning carve-outs — which districts allow / disallow STR
- Tax stack — TOT, hotel, county + state layers
- Stay limits — min/max nightly, max nights/year
- Operational requirements — parking, insurance, fire inspection, neighbor notice
- Penalties — per-night fines, revocation thresholds
- City-specific gotchas — HOA carve-outs, pending legislation, recent court rulings
- Refresh on demand — re-run the agentic pipeline against the city's current ordinance
Frequently asked
Are short-term rentals legal in Maui, HI?
Maui is currently restricted for short-term rentals. Permitted but with material constraints — caps, owner-occupancy rules, zoning carve-outs, or active ordinance review. For the actual fees, caps, owner-occupancy rules, and city-specific gotchas, sign in.
Do I need a permit to run an Airbnb in Maui?
Almost certainly yes — almost every U.S. city now requires a short-term rental permit, vacation rental permit, or transient lodging permit before you can legally list. The specifics for Maui (cost, renewal cycle, required documents) are behind sign-in. You can also read the source ordinance directly: https://library.municode.com/hi/county_of_maui/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=TIT19ZO_ARTIVREMIAR_CH19.65SHRMREHO.
What happens if I rent without a permit in Maui?
Most cities charge per-night fines (a few hundred to a few thousand dollars per violation), escalating to cease-and-desist letters and platform delisting on repeat. Airbnb and Vrbo now share permit-validation feeds with most major cities, so unpermitted listings get blocked at the platform level. Sign in to see the specific penalty schedule for Maui.
How current is this data for Maui?
This record was verified 1mo ago against the city's published ordinance (.gov or the city's official municipal-code publisher). Cached cities re-verify on a cadence — daily for cities under active legislation, weekly otherwise. Signed-in users can hit Refresh on any city to force a fresh pull. If you're underwriting a deal, always confirm against the city's code-enforcement office before closing.
Can my HOA or condo association ban STRs even if Maui allows them?
Yes. City permits authorize you under municipal law, but your HOA, condo association, or co-op board sets contractual rules that override the city for your unit. Many HOAs adopted blanket STR bans between 2018 and 2024 in response to neighbor complaints. Read the CC&Rs, bylaws, and rental addendums before you buy with an STR plan — the city saying yes does not mean your building says yes.