There was cheering and tears of joy in the state Capitol conference room after a measure that would give counties more regulatory power over short-term rentals passed out of a key committee. It’s one of the last major hurdles of the legislative process.
Lahaina Strong, an advocacy group of Maui fire survivors, filled the room to hear the committee’s vote.
Paele Kiakona, one of the group's co-organizers, said getting a better handle on short-term rentals will free up housing for displaced Maui residents.
“This is a huge opportunity to give them hope that if we continue to fight and stand up for what we believe in, we can make anything happen,” Kiakona said. “We all see this as an opportunity to bring our people home.”
The measure would allow counties to phase out short-term rentals of any classification — even those with non-conforming use permits.
Non-conforming use permits for transient vacation rental units were given to properties decades ago and allow certain properties to operate as short-term rentals, even in residential areas.
It also explicitly outlines that counties would be able to control the time, place, manner and duration in which uses of land and structures take place.
This provision targets a 2022 court decision that stopped Honolulu from enforcing its law that requires rentals to be leased out for a minimum of 90 days.
The measure will now go on to a final vote in both chambers before being sent to Gov. Josh Green. He has already committed to signing the legislation if passed.
How did we get here? Take a look back at past coverage of this bill:
