Hawaiʻi island is quietly turning residential housing into visitor accommodations. While Honolulu, Kauaʻi, and Maui counties have drawn firm limits on where unhosted vacation rentals can operate, Hawaiʻi County continues to allow them in residential condominium developments outside of resort zones, blurring the line between homes for residents and units for visitors, and driving up the cost of housing in the process.
The recently introduced bill relating to Hawaiʻi island vacation rentals, County Council Bill 147, would continue this trend. Amending this bill to remove unhosted vacation rentals as an allowable use in multi-family residential zoning districts would correct a major flaw in our zoning code and move the county a step closer to housing affordability.
According to a 2025 county-commissioned economic impact study on vacation rentals, 93% of the island’s vacation rental listings were unhosted, with whole homes being utilized as visitor accommodations. Allowing entire homes to be used as vacation rentals increases property values by adding commercial income potential. In a tourism-driven economy like Hawaiʻi’s, that added value attracts outside investors and drives up prices for local buyers…