Hawaii County committee forwards delay of short-term rental registration to July 2026 after implementation concerns

The Hawaii County Policy Committee on Planning, Land Use and Economic Development voted Nov. 4 to forward Bill 98 to the full County Council with a favorable recommendation, delaying the implementation of the county's transient accommodations registration to July 1, 2026.

The move follows public testimony and committee discussion about the county's readiness to implement the registration system. Joshua Montgomery of Kona told the committee he opposed the bill, saying county staff guidance indicates some rental units would need to be fully permitted to register, tiny homes on wheels would be denied and additional farm dwellings could not be used as transient rental units. "The county has an obligation to communicate honestly with the public about the legislation that's written and the way that it's enforced," Montgomery said, adding the changes would put "a lot of families out of business." The committee did not vote on the substantive eligibility questions Montgomery raised during the meeting.

Deputy Finance Malia Keikai told the committee finance is meeting weekly with planning and is drafting a request for proposals (RFP) for a registration system. "We are aiming to put [the RFP] out by, I believe, the end of next week," Keikai said, and said the county expects the procurement window to take about 30 days with a vendor selected before the end of the year. Keikai estimated implementation would take "conservative[ly]" three to six months depending on the vendor and said that if the county keeps the initial rollout focused on registration rather than enforcement features, the July 1 date is achievable. "We will be opening registration on July 1," she said, adding the county will provide education, forms and outreach before launch.

Councilmembers pressed staff on whether a vendor had been anticipated when the registration requirement was adopted and how the registration process would interact with planning and tax reviews. Keikai said the planned online system would allow joint review by finance and planning, including the ability to cross-check advertised listings to validate counts and compliance. Planning Director Jeff Darrow told the committee collecting registration data is important to monitor community trends and said he supported the amendment while preferring an earlier rollout if feasible.

The committee's procedural motion to forward Bill 98 was made by Councilmember Michelle Galimba and seconded by Councilmember Jennifer Kogiwada; the motion carried with seven votes in favor. Councilmembers Heather Kimball and Polnaka Inaba were recorded as excused. The committee forwarded Bill 98 to the full County Council with a favorable recommendation.

Next steps: the bill will appear on the County Council agenda for further consideration. The committee announced hawaiicountytar.com as the repository for ordinance text and for example materials the planning department will publish to help applicants understand required registration information (section 6-45 of the county code was cited).