Short-Term Rental Eligibility on Maui — What Buyers Need to Know

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Important Disclaimer
STR laws on Maui are subject to active litigation. Bill 9 (Ordinance 5500) has been challenged in federal court; a permanent injunction could extend or eliminate the phase-out dates below. Always verify current status with a qualified Maui real estate attorney and the Maui County Planning Department before purchasing any property for short-term rental use. This page is informational only and does not constitute legal advice.

What Is a Short-Term Rental (STR)?

On Maui, a short-term rental (STR) is any rental of a dwelling unit for fewer than 180 consecutive days. Maui County controls STRs through two main mechanisms:

Zoning — Hotel (H-1/H-2) zones permit STRs as-of-right.
Nonconforming use ("Minatoya List") — Certain condominium complexes built before zoning restrictions changed received "grandfather" rights to operate STRs. These rights are tracked on the Maui County Minatoya List.
Short-Term Rental Home (STRH) permits — Single-family homes and select units may obtain a §19.65 STRH permit from the County.

Bill 9 (Ordinance 5500) — The Minatoya Phase-Out

In 2023 Maui County enacted Bill 9 (Ordinance 5500), which ends nonconforming STR use rights for Minatoya-listed properties on a community-plan-area schedule:

Area	Phase-Out Date	Notes
West Maui (Lahaina, Kaanapali, Kapalua and surrounds)	January 1, 2029	Earlier deadline — includes fire-affected areas. Post-2029 STR use requires a separate permit.
Rest of Maui (South Maui, Central, East Maui, Upcountry, etc.)	January 1, 2031	Later deadline. Includes Kihei, Wailea, Makena, Paia, Haiku.
Hotel Zone (H-1/H-2)	No phase-out	Hotel-zoned properties are not affected by Bill 9. STR rights are permanent.

Source: Maui County Legistar — Ordinance 5500

The Minatoya List

The Minatoya List is the official County record of condominium complexes with grandfathered STR rights. It is maintained by the Maui County Planning Department as a GIS layer, and is currently based on the April 2022 administrative list (last GIS update: April 2023).

A June 2024 PDF update from the County has not yet been reflected in the official GIS layer. Our site monitors the GIS layer's lastEditDate field; when the County updates the layer, we will sync automatically.

Approximately 101 parent parcels (condo complexes) are listed.
Being on the Minatoya List does NOT mean every individual unit is rentable — owners may still need HOA approval and short-term rental registration with the Hawaii Department of Taxation (GET license) and Maui County.
Some complexes were removed from earlier versions of the list (e.g., complexes that lost grandfathered status due to court rulings or voluntary surrender).

Source: Maui County Minatoya FeatureServer (ArcGIS)

Short-Term Rental Home (STRH) Permits — §19.65

The County issues STRH permits to qualifying single-family homes under Maui County Code §19.65. These permits:

Are property-specific (not transferable to new owners automatically).
Require annual renewal; lapse if the property changes hands without prompt re-application.
Are capped countywide — the County has limited new STRH issuances in many districts.
Are listed on an official PDF published monthly by the County. Our system syncs this PDF each month and shows approximate expiry dates (permit issue date + 1 year) as an estimate — always verify with the County.

Source: Maui County Approved STRH List (PDF)

How We Determine STR Status

Our listings show a Short-Term Rental Status panel derived from authoritative County data, refreshed automatically. The decision cascade is:

Manual override (No) — If our team has verified a complex is not eligible post-Bill-9 (e.g., Kihei Cove which is on the stale 2022 GIS list but confirmed ineligible), that override wins.
Hotel zone (H-1/H-2) — If the parcel is in a hotel zoning district, STR is permitted regardless of Minatoya status. Eligible — no phase-out
Minatoya List — If the parcel TMK or complex name matches the County Minatoya GIS layer. Eligible — Bill 9 phase-out applies
Active STRH permit — If the TMK appears on the County's monthly STRH permit list. Eligible — verify renewal
Not eligible — No County record found. Condo class with no match defaults to Not Eligible. Not Eligible

Data is refreshed nightly (Minatoya), monthly (STRH permits), and quarterly (zoning). Status badges on listing pages reflect the most recent successful sync.

Active Litigation

The STR landscape on Maui is subject to ongoing legal challenges:

Bill 9 / Ordinance 5500 has been challenged in federal district court by affected property owners. A preliminary injunction was denied, but the case may proceed to appeal. If the ordinance is overturned or amended, phase-out dates could change significantly.
Individual complex litigation — Some condominium associations have filed suit over their removal from the Minatoya List or over the County's interpretation of grandfathered rights.

We strongly recommend consulting a Hawaii real estate attorney familiar with Maui STR law before purchasing any property specifically for short-term rental purposes. The information on this site is updated automatically from public data sources and does not constitute legal advice.

Additional Resources

Data sourced from Maui County GIS, STRH permit PDFs, and Hawaii Statewide zoning layers. Last updated automatically. For questions, contact dad@mauirealestate.net.