Hawaii County council approves first reading of transient rental registration bill after amendments

The Hawaii County Council approved Bill 47 at first reading on May 21, 2025, moving forward a countywide registration requirement for most transient vacation rentals and a platform-reporting regime intended to make short-term rental locations and operators visible to county authorities.

The bill, introduced by Council Member Heather Kimball, would add a new article to Chapter 6 of the Hawaii County Code to require transient vacation rentals (TBRs) and hosting platforms to register with the county and provide standardized data elements the county can use for taxation, emergency notifications and enforcement. The council passed the measure with amendments that delay platform-compliance enforcement until the finance director signals readiness and that give the planning director discretion to set a graduated fine for noncompliant platforms (minimum $1,000, up to $10,000) rather than a single flat penalty.

The measure drew lengthy public testimony from vacation‑rental hosts, platform representatives and resident opponents. Stephanie Donahoe of the Kohala Coast Resort Association testified in favor, saying registration would help authorities and operators coordinate during emergencies and improve equitable taxation. Hosts such as Ashley Robinson warned some safety and access requirements could be burdensome for small, off‑grid properties. Mackenzie Chase of Expedia Group asked for clarifications to the enforcement language and for the county to identify listings by URL to avoid ambiguity when platforms are asked to delist properties.

Planning Director Jeff Darrow told the council the department intends to use a complaint‑driven enforcement approach and that a detailed enforcement schedule and fine structure will be developed within Chapter 25 (zoning/enforcement) updates. Council members debated whether to advance a registration-only step first and defer land‑use regulation changes to the later Chapter 25 rewrite; proponents said registration data are needed to inform the larger land‑use work.

Council Member Kimball said the registration step is intended to provide an accurate count and locations of rentals to pair with an economic impact analysis already under way. Vice Chair Onishi and Council Member Villegas opposed the measure in part because of concerns about timing, the degree of administrative authority and potential effects on local homeowners and small hosts.

On a roll-call vote after several amendments were adopted, the measure passed first reading and was referred for later committee work and further ordinance drafting. The council also recorded communications from the Planning Department and the finance director that will be folded into the implementing rules and the Chapter 25 process.