Hawaii County Big Island STR Registration Deadline: What Every Operator Needs to Know Before December 31

Hawaii County has a new short-term rental registration requirement in effect, and the December 31, 2026 grace period means Big Island operators have roughly 100 days to comply or face fines up to $10,000. Ordinance 25-50 took effect September 1, 2026, and it applies to every transient vacation rental on the Big Island, whether you rent out a spare room in Kailua-Kona or an unhosted estate on the Kohala Coast, with existing STVR registrations, Nonconforming Use Certificates, and permitted B&Bs deemed registered already.

This article is a practical compliance guide for Big Island STR operators. I have reviewed the ordinance, the registration process, and what happens if you ignore the deadline. The good news is that registering is straightforward. The bad news, for a subset of operators, is that ignoring this one is not an option.

This article provides general information and should not be construed as legal advice. Consult a qualified attorney in your jurisdiction for advice specific to your situation.

What Is Ordinance 25-50 and Why Does It Matter?

Hawaii County (the official name for the county covering the entire Big Island) passed Ordinance 25-50 to create a formal registration system for transient vacation rentals. The county defines a transient vacation rental, or TVR, as any rental of less than 180 consecutive days, meaning a stay of 180 days or longer is not a TVR (County of Hawaiʻi Planning Department). If you operate an Airbnb, Vrbo, or any other short-term rental on the Big Island, this ordinance applies to you.

Picture this: You bought a three-bedroom house in Kona three years ago, listed it on Airbnb the day you closed, and have been running it profitably ever since. Until September 1, 2026, an unhosted rental like yours fell under the narrower 2018 STVR registration rules (Ordinance 18-114) rather than a single countywide system. Now there is one, and you have until December 31, 2026 to use it. After that date, operating without a registration certificate is a violation that carries fines up to $10,000.

The ordinance is part of a broader wave of STR registration requirements moving through Hawaii and the mainland. But it is worth being precise about what this is and what it is not. Ordinance 25-50 is a registration requirement, not a ban or a cap. The county is not trying to eliminate vacation rentals on the Big Island. It is trying to know how many exist, where they are, and who operates them. That is a meaningfully different kind of regulatory action than what Maui County has been doing on a neighboring island.

Hawaii County vs. Maui County: A Distinction That Matters

Before going further, I want to address something that causes genuine confusion among investors who own property across multiple Hawaiian islands. Hawaii County and Maui County are entirely separate jurisdictions with entirely different regulatory approaches.

Maui County’s Bill 9 initiated a phased removal of thousands of vacation rental units in A-1 and A-2 apartment-zoned districts (County of Maui). Hawaii County’s Ordinance 25-50 creates a registration system, not a phase-out. These are not comparable situations.

If you have spent the past year reading about Hawaiian STR regulations, much of that coverage involved Maui. The Maui Bill 9 saga generated substantial attention because it represents one of the most aggressive STR phase-outs in U.S. history. That coverage does not describe what is happening on the Big Island. Hawaii County covers Kona, Hilo, the Kohala Coast, Waikoloa, Volcano, and every other Big Island community. It operates under its own county council, its own planning department, and its own ordinances.

The rules are different, the timeline is different, and the stakes are different. I have spoken with investors who assumed the Big Island was subject to the same restrictions as Maui. It is not, and conflating the two has led some operators to either panic unnecessarily or, worse, ignore legitimate compliance deadlines because they assumed the situation mirrored what they read about Maui.

Who Needs to Register Under Ordinance 25-50?

The ordinance covers both hosted and unhosted TVRs throughout Hawaii County, defined as any rental of fewer than 180 consecutive days. The distinction between hosted and unhosted matters primarily for fees.

A hosted rental (the ordinance uses language consistent with a bed-and-breakfast model, where the owner or a resident is present on the property during guest stays) carries a lower registration fee. An unhosted rental (guests have the property to themselves, with no owner or resident present) carries a higher fee. The underlying logic is that hosted rentals carry built-in oversight that unhosted properties do not.

Both categories must register annually with Hawaii County. Registration is not a one-time process. You renew it each year, which creates an ongoing relationship with the county’s planning department rather than a single transaction.

One detail worth noting: registration expires 90 days after a change in property ownership. If you purchase a Big Island property that already has an active registration, the prior owner’s registration does not transfer to you. You have 90 days from closing to obtain your own. New buyers who do not know about this requirement can find themselves inadvertently out of compliance within their first few months of ownership.

Registration Fees: What You Will Actually Pay

The fee structure under Ordinance 25-50 is:

• Hosted STR (B&B model, owner present): $250 initial registration, $100 annual renewal
• Unhosted STR (guests have property to themselves): $500 initial registration, $250 annual renewal

These are recurring costs, not one-time permits, and the renewal rate is lower than the initial fee (County of Hawaiʻi Planning Department). At $100 to $500 a year, the fee itself is not the concern. The concern is the $10,000 fine for failing to register. One year of non-compliance costs more than 20 years of unhosted registration fees. The math is straightforward enough that I will not belabor it.

Platforms like Airbnb and Vrbo face their own obligations under the ordinance. They must register with Hawaii County, pay a $1,000 platform registration fee, and submit monthly reports listing all active properties along with their county registration numbers. Platforms that fail to comply face fines up to $10,000 per day for violations. This creates a two-sided compliance architecture where both operators and platforms carry independent obligations.

The Step-by-Step Registration Process

Hawaii County registers TVRs through an online portal at portal.deckard.com/hi-hawaii-str-portal, with program information posted at hawaiicountytar.com. The process works as follows:

Step 1: Confirm Your Property Qualifies

Verify that your rental meets the TVR definition: any rental of fewer than 180 consecutive days. If you primarily rent to long-term tenants or operate on six-month-plus leases, you may fall outside the ordinance’s scope. When in doubt, contact the Planning Department first. Registration is not a permit and does not legalize a use the zoning code does not allow, so registering an unpermitted whole-home rental does not by itself remove fine exposure.

Step 2: Determine Your Category

Decide whether your property is hosted (you or a resident are present during guest stays) or unhosted (guests have the property without an on-site owner). This affects your annual fee and may affect your obligations as Hawaii County develops its regulatory framework through pending legislation like Bill 147.

Step 3: Gather Your Documentation

You will need:

• Property address and Tax Map Key (TMK) number
• Number of bedrooms available for rent, with a simple site plan and floor plan (hand-drawn is acceptable)
• Owner and local contact (“reachable person”) information
• An active State General Excise Tax (GET) license and Transient Accommodations Tax (TAT) registration
• Building, electrical, and plumbing permit numbers for the rental buildings
• Proof that county real property taxes are current, because a registration will not receive full approval on a parcel with delinquent property taxes
• Documentation of health and safety compliance

Step 4: Complete the Online Application

The designated registration pathway is the county’s online portal at portal.deckard.com/hi-hawaii-str-portal. The program is run by the county Planning Department, but the portal itself is operated by a third-party vendor, Deckard Technologies.

Step 5: Pay the Registration Fee

Submit the applicable fee: $250 for hosted, $500 for unhosted. Payment is processed through the online portal at the time of application.

Step 6: Receive and Retain Your Certificate

Once approved, keep your registration certificate accessible. Your registration number must appear in your rental advertisements, and booking platforms are required to display it on listings. This is already in force, not a future possibility.

Step 7: Set a Renewal Reminder

Registration is annual. Missing the renewal creates a lapse in compliance that the county can treat as a violation. Put the renewal date on your calendar now. One administrative oversight should not create a $10,000 liability.

What Happens After December 31?

The grace period through December 31, 2026 was established through Bill 175, which the County Council passed to extend the registration window beyond Ordinance 25-50’s September 1 effective date. County Councilmember Kimball has publicly described the four-month window as a good-faith period designed to bring the existing rental market into the registration system without immediate enforcement.

After December 31, unregistered TVR operation is a civil violation. The county can issue fines and revoke registration for non-compliance. An amnesty bill is reportedly planned for introduction in October 2026 that may create additional pathways for operators who have not yet engaged with the registration process. But waiting for the amnesty bill to resolve before registering is not a defensible strategy. The December 31 deadline exists independently of any pending legislation.

Enforcement historically develops gradually after new registration systems launch. But the platform compliance mechanism accelerates that timeline. Under Ordinance 25-50, Airbnb and Vrbo submit monthly reports listing active properties with their registration numbers. If your property appears in those reports without a valid registration, the county is aware of the discrepancy. This is not an enforcement environment where operating unregistered properties goes unnoticed indefinitely.

The Pending Bill 147: What to Watch

Separate from the registration requirement, Hawaii County’s Bill 147 is working through the council. Bill 147 would formally divide TVRs into two categories: bed-and-breakfasts (hosted, owner lives on-site as primary residence) and short-term vacation rentals (unhosted). It would also expand certain zoning permissions for qualifying hosted rentals while creating structured management standards and dedicated enforcement mechanisms.

If Bill 147 passes, some operators may need to update or reclassify their registration. The practical guidance is the same: register now under Ordinance 25-50 (the December 31 deadline applies regardless of Bill 147’s status) and monitor the council’s progress. Waiting for Bill 147 to resolve before complying with the existing ordinance is not a strategy I would recommend to any client.

Big Island Market Context: Why Compliance Is Worth Protecting

StaySTRA data shows the Kailua-Kona market, the Big Island submarket StaySTRA tracks, scores 91 out of 100 for overall market quality, with a rental demand sub-score of 87. Average daily rates run approximately $416 per night. Average monthly revenue for active properties is around $6,288. Those are meaningful numbers for a market operating in one of the most geographically constrained vacation destinations in the United States.

The Kona and Kohala Coast corridor on the west side of the island consistently draws demand from mainland visitors seeking the resort experience that Maui provides but at a more accessible price point. Hilo and the Volcano area attract a different traveler profile, one drawn to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and the rainforest landscape. Both sub-markets have sustained STR demand that has proven durable across multiple years of regulatory uncertainty elsewhere in the state.

For detailed occupancy trends and current market metrics, the Kailua-Kona market page on StaySTRA provides live data on the Big Island’s demand profile. The broader Hawaii state location page gives context across the island markets.

Operators who clear the registration requirement by December 31 are positioned to continue running properties in a high-performing market. Operators who don’t are carrying fine exposure against a revenue stream that averages over $6,000 per month. That is not a risk profile that makes sense.

Due Diligence Considerations for New Buyers

For investors evaluating Big Island properties, Ordinance 25-50 is now a standard line item in the due diligence checklist. Before closing on any Hawaii County property:

• Confirm whether an active registration exists (and understand it does not transfer to you at ownership change)
• Verify the property’s zoning classification permits TVR operation
• Confirm the property’s tax classification is consistent with rental use
• Understand the 90-day re-registration window after closing
• Monitor Bill 147’s progress, as it may affect your property’s operating category

The complete guide to buying an Airbnb property on StaySTRA covers the full due diligence framework for STR acquisition, including how to evaluate regulatory environments before committing capital to a market. Hawaii County’s new registration layer is exactly the kind of compliance requirement that changes the pre-purchase checklist without changing the underlying investment thesis for well-positioned properties.

We do our best to keep our regulatory guides accurate and up to date, but ordinances change and we are only human. Always verify current requirements directly with your local municipality before making business decisions.

The StaySTRA Analyzer can help you assess whether a specific Big Island property’s revenue profile supports continued investment under the new registration framework, or help you evaluate prospective properties before you commit capital. The December 31 deadline is fixed. The sooner you register, the more of this compliance window you have available without operating under fine exposure.