{"id":459,"date":"2026-06-07T10:36:28","date_gmt":"2026-06-07T10:36:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/movingtohawaiiguide.com\/?p=459"},"modified":"2026-06-07T10:36:28","modified_gmt":"2026-06-07T10:36:28","slug":"panel-defers-bill-regarding-stvrs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/movingtohawaiiguide.com\/?p=459","title":{"rendered":"Panel defers bill regarding STVRs"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n

The Hawaii County Windward Planning Commission voted unanimously Friday to defer a bill seeking to overhaul vacation rental rules that has seen significant pushback from local farmers operating \u201cfarmstays.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more New York City\u2019s most patient soccer fans are ready for the party<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

The Hawaii County Windward Planning Commission voted unanimously Friday to defer a bill seeking to overhaul vacation rental rules that has seen significant pushback from local farmers operating \u201cfarmstays.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bill 147 would redefine hosted and unhosted short-term rentals, establish working standards and punitive fines, and expand the list of zoning areas where hosted rentals are allowed to operate. It would lengthen the rental period considered \u201cshort-term\u201d to stays less than 180 consecutive days \u2014 as opposed to 30 days under current rules \u2014 and set occupancy limits, reduce \u201cquiet hours,\u201d and restrict the types of activities allowed on rental properties.<\/p>\n

\n
\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Commission Chair Louis Daniele justified the deferral by saying the body \u201cjust needs some more time to digest this\u201d and to make \u201cadditional recommendations and amendments.\u201d The commission will consider the bill again during its July 2 meeting.<\/p>\n

The measure was forwarded to the planning director and planning commissions by a unanimous vote in-favor by the County Council\u2019s Policy Committee on Planning, Land Use and Economic Development on April 7.<\/p>\n

It also calls for the creation of an enforcement fund, leveraging fines ranging from $5,500 for first violations to $10,000 for third violations and beyond. If county enforcers find an unregistered property listed as bookable anywhere online \u2014 including on popular sites like Airbnb and VRBO \u2014 they could consider that sufficient evidence of illegal operation, with owners then having to prove they\u2019re in compliance.<\/p>\n

Under the proposed legislation, all short-term rentals would be divided into two groups: bed and breakfasts and STVRs.<\/p>\n

The new rules define B&Bs as hosted rentals where someones lives on the same property as the rental unit during guest stays. Conversely, STVRs are defined as unhosted rentals with no on-site presence by a \u201chost\u201d \u2014 specified in the bill as someone \u201creachable,\u201d whether it be an owner, family member, property manager or tenant.<\/p>\n

Registration fees would be set at $250 for new B&Bs with a $100 annual renewal, and $500 for new STVRs with a $250 annual renewal.<\/p>\n

Whichever group a particular property falls into determines where it\u2019s allowed to operate and what rules it must follow. STVRs would be mostly limited to resort areas, but with two notable exceptions: properties zoned Multi-Family Residential and Neighborhood Commercial.<\/p>\n

B&Bs would be permitted in a large section of zoning categories, including residential, commercial and some agricultural areas without the need for a special use permit, but with one notable exception: lots zoned State Land Use Agricultural.<\/p>\n

This carve-out stems from the 2024 Hawaii Supreme Court\u2019s Rosehill v. State of Hawaii case, where the court decided STVRs should be prohibited on state-designated farmland because they \u201cundermine the purpose of the agricultural district.\u201d<\/p>\n

Resultingly, Hawaii County must now ensure that its vacation rental rules conform to state law, prompting the need for legislation like Bill 147.<\/p>\n

Although the case has left the county\u2019s hands tied, this hasn\u2019t stopped farmers operating vacation rentals on their land from lashing out. Some attended Friday\u2019s meeting to testify in opposition of the bill, like South Kona farmer Krista Olson.<\/p>\n

\u201cI see an intention here to protect and preserve farmland,\u201d Olson said. \u201c(But) sometimes when we protect and preserve farmland, we inadvertently hinder farming, and in our world of small family farms on Hawaii Island, really protecting farming and farm families means giving folks a path to making a living.\u201d<\/p>\n

This path, she said, involves allowing growers to supplement their income by renting outbuildings for visitor stays. Under Bill 147\u2019s provisions, hosted rentals would only be allowed in the State Land Use Agricultural district by special permit if the rental is \u201clocated in a farm dwelling\u201d that is also \u201cthe principal home of the host.\u201d The bill outright bans the renting of \u201cadditional farm dwellings.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Two charged with Kailua-Kona Pier assault<\/a><\/p>\n

Without this supplemental income, Olson said, the farms themselves could fail.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome of us will honestly come to a pretty abrupt stop in production,\u201d she said. \u201cI heavily subsidize our row crop operation. We grow organic leafy greens and produce for Head Start programs, for community feeding programs, and we can\u2019t do it without the income from our farmstay rental.\u201d<\/p>\n

The costs incurred from following these new rules,<\/strong> she said, would be unaffordable for her legacy farming family.<\/p>\n

\u201cI personally am not in a position to be able to do all the things that would be required to get a special use permit,\u201d she said. \u201cSo, for us it will really mean the end of farming production. It will also mean probably the end of five generations of farming, and I have a kid who really would like to go on and farm for his community, and I don\u2019t see a financial path forward without the current balanced model that we have.\u201d<\/p>\n

There are large areas of Hawaii Island that are county-zoned Agricultural, yet sit in State Land Use Urban and Rural districts, where hosted B&Bs utilizing outbuildings could still operate with a permit. Opponents of the bill like South Kona farmer Heather Korotie have claimed that this creates an uneven enforcement of rules.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt forces hosted rentals in the state ag and rural districts into a costly, uncertain, and long special permit process \u2026 while all other residents get a much simpler and less costly registration path to also become a B&B,\u201d Korotie said. \u201cThis creates two classes of hosted rentals \u2014 both called B&Bs \u2014 purely based on the state land use district labels which no longer seem to be accurate.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hosting visitors on her farm, she said, is a \u201cnecessity and not something we even want to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt allows us to pay our mortgages, keep farming even when the farm runs at a loss, and remain self-reliant instead of needing public assistance,\u201d Korotie said. \u201cRequiring us to host only inside our own dwelling versus on our home site like all others in the bill \u2014 and then layering an expensive special permit process on top \u2014 seems unintentionally inequitable.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bill 147 was primarily authored by Hamakua Councilwoman Heather Kimball, who attended the hearing and sympathized with farmers like Olson and Korotie, but said the county has no choice but to follow state law. On the other hand, she said, the measure would remove permitting requirements for residents operating B&Bs outside of State Land Use Agricultural zoning.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere will be no additional steps for those folks,\u201d she said. \u201cThey\u2019ll just register, and that\u2019s it. It\u2019s only this ag part that we\u2019re having to align with the court cases and the state law and require that special use permit because of the Rosehill decision and existing state law.\u201d<\/p>\n

Also at the meeting was Planning Director Jeff Darrow, whom Commissioner JoNelle Fukushima questioned about the bill\u2019s proposed fine schedule.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to know more about your fines,\u201d Fukushima said. \u201cThey seem incredibly high.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a difference, if you\u2019re a resort or an ag person \u2014 $5,000, $10,000 penalties \u2014 you know, that\u2019s pretty egregious in my thought process,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

Darrow responded that in the past fines have been insufficient to discourage illegal rentals.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe problem that we\u2019ve had is the fines did not deter activity,\u201d he said, \u201cbecause they made much more money than they (lost in) fines, so they could continue operating. The fines had little effect on them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Former Hilo man pleads not guilty in child sex assault case<\/a><\/p>\n

Email Stefan Verbano at stefan.verbano@hawaiitribune-herald.com.\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Panel defers bill regarding STVRs – Hawaii News | Hawaii Tribune-Herald<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":458,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-459","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nPanel defers bill regarding STVRs - Moving to Hawaii Guide<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/movingtohawaiiguide.com\/?p=459\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Panel defers bill regarding STVRs - Moving to Hawaii Guide\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Panel defers bill regarding STVRs - Hawaii News | Hawaii Tribune-Herald\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/movingtohawaiiguide.com\/?p=459\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Moving to Hawaii Guide\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-07T10:36:28+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movingtohawaiiguide.com\\\/?p=459#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movingtohawaiiguide.com\\\/?p=459\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movingtohawaiiguide.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/aab134479722ebfc548519f5ae92ff84\"},\"headline\":\"Panel defers bill regarding STVRs\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-07T10:36:28+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movingtohawaiiguide.com\\\/?p=459\"},\"wordCount\":1285,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movingtohawaiiguide.com\\\/?p=459#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movingtohawaiiguide.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/54f9c8e32ddfc4203378c64a3d38a6f1.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/movingtohawaiiguide.com\\\/?p=459#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movingtohawaiiguide.com\\\/?p=459\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movingtohawaiiguide.com\\\/?p=459\",\"name\":\"Panel defers bill regarding STVRs - Moving to Hawaii Guide\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movingtohawaiiguide.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movingtohawaiiguide.com\\\/?p=459#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movingtohawaiiguide.com\\\/?p=459#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movingtohawaiiguide.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/54f9c8e32ddfc4203378c64a3d38a6f1.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-07T10:36:28+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movingtohawaiiguide.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/aab134479722ebfc548519f5ae92ff84\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movingtohawaiiguide.com\\\/?p=459#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/movingtohawaiiguide.com\\\/?p=459\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movingtohawaiiguide.com\\\/?p=459#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movingtohawaiiguide.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/54f9c8e32ddfc4203378c64a3d38a6f1.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movingtohawaiiguide.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/54f9c8e32ddfc4203378c64a3d38a6f1.webp\",\"width\":267,\"height\":370},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movingtohawaiiguide.com\\\/?p=459#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movingtohawaiiguide.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Panel defers bill regarding STVRs\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movingtohawaiiguide.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movingtohawaiiguide.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Moving to Hawaii Guide\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movingtohawaiiguide.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movingtohawaiiguide.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/aab134479722ebfc548519f5ae92ff84\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/movingtohawaiiguide.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movingtohawaiiguide.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Panel defers bill regarding STVRs - Moving to Hawaii Guide","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/movingtohawaiiguide.com\/?p=459","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Panel defers bill regarding STVRs - Moving to Hawaii Guide","og_description":"Panel defers bill regarding STVRs - Hawaii News | Hawaii Tribune-Herald","og_url":"https:\/\/movingtohawaiiguide.com\/?p=459","og_site_name":"Moving to Hawaii Guide","article_published_time":"2026-06-07T10:36:28+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/movingtohawaiiguide.com\/?p=459#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/movingtohawaiiguide.com\/?p=459"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/movingtohawaiiguide.com\/#\/schema\/person\/aab134479722ebfc548519f5ae92ff84"},"headline":"Panel defers bill regarding STVRs","datePublished":"2026-06-07T10:36:28+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/movingtohawaiiguide.com\/?p=459"},"wordCount":1285,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/movingtohawaiiguide.com\/?p=459#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/movingtohawaiiguide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/54f9c8e32ddfc4203378c64a3d38a6f1.webp","articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/movingtohawaiiguide.com\/?p=459#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/movingtohawaiiguide.com\/?p=459","url":"https:\/\/movingtohawaiiguide.com\/?p=459","name":"Panel defers bill regarding STVRs - Moving to Hawaii Guide","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/movingtohawaiiguide.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/movingtohawaiiguide.com\/?p=459#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/movingtohawaiiguide.com\/?p=459#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/movingtohawaiiguide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/54f9c8e32ddfc4203378c64a3d38a6f1.webp","datePublished":"2026-06-07T10:36:28+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/movingtohawaiiguide.com\/#\/schema\/person\/aab134479722ebfc548519f5ae92ff84"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/movingtohawaiiguide.com\/?p=459#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/movingtohawaiiguide.com\/?p=459"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/movingtohawaiiguide.com\/?p=459#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/movingtohawaiiguide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/54f9c8e32ddfc4203378c64a3d38a6f1.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/movingtohawaiiguide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/54f9c8e32ddfc4203378c64a3d38a6f1.webp","width":267,"height":370},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/movingtohawaiiguide.com\/?p=459#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/movingtohawaiiguide.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Panel defers bill regarding STVRs"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/movingtohawaiiguide.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/movingtohawaiiguide.com\/","name":"Moving to Hawaii Guide","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/movingtohawaiiguide.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/movingtohawaiiguide.com\/#\/schema\/person\/aab134479722ebfc548519f5ae92ff84","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/movingtohawaiiguide.com"],"url":"https:\/\/movingtohawaiiguide.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/movingtohawaiiguide.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/459","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/movingtohawaiiguide.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/movingtohawaiiguide.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/movingtohawaiiguide.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/movingtohawaiiguide.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=459"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/movingtohawaiiguide.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/459\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/movingtohawaiiguide.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/458"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/movingtohawaiiguide.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=459"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/movingtohawaiiguide.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=459"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/movingtohawaiiguide.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=459"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}