Can You Buy a Maui Home and Rent It to Vacationers? The Short-Term Rental Home Permit, Explained

In most cases, no. You cannot buy a single-family home on Maui and start renting it to vacationers. Stays under 180 days count as transient rentals, and a house needs a county Short-Term Rental Home (STRH) permit to host them. Since late 2021 a new permit has required that the home is at least 15 years old and that you have owned it for at least 15 years. Existing permits do not transfer when a home sells. So a home advertised as a "permitted vacation rental" loses that status the day it closes.

I get this question from buyers all the time, often about a home that already rents to visitors. I have owned vacation rentals myself and was a co-owner of a vacation rental management company and brokerage here on Maui, and this rule surprises more buyers than any other. Here is how the permit works, where the limits are, and what your realistic options are.

This post is about single-family homes. If you want a vacation rental you can run soon after closing, start with my guide to running a legal vacation rental condo on Maui.

What counts as a short-term rental on Maui?

Maui County treats any rental of less than 180 days as transient. That includes the obvious nightly and weekly vacation rentals, and it also includes the one, two and three-month furnished stays that are legal in many mainland places. Unless a home has a permit or sits in a district that allows transient use, rentals need to be 180 days or longer.

What does the permit require?

The rules are in Maui County Code Chapter 19.65. The main requirements:

The 15-year periods came from a 2021 ordinance that raised them from 5 years. That one change is why so few new permits are issued.

Homes in the Special Management Area along the Paia-Haiku coast cannot get new permits at all, and none are allowed on Molokai.

How many permits are there, and where?

Permits are capped by community plan area. Here are the caps next to the number of approved homes on the county's list, dated through September 30, 2026:

Hana's count on the county list is above its cap, so check with the county before assuming any area has room. Countywide, that is 150 permitted homes on an island with tens of thousands of houses. West Maui is close to full.

Does a permit transfer when the home is sold?

No. This is the point I most want buyers to understand. The permit belongs to the owner, not the house. When the home sells, the permit ends. The only exceptions are a transfer to immediate family when the holder dies, or from a trust to its successor trustee or beneficiary.

That means:

• The rental income on a permitted home's listing does not come with the house. Do not pay a premium for it.
• You cannot reapply right away. As the new owner you would need 15 years of ownership before a new permit application.
• Future bookings are a problem. If the seller has guests booked after closing, sort that out in the contract.

How do you apply, if you qualify?

For owners who do meet the 15-year rules, the process looks like this:

1. Apply online through the county's MAPPS permit system, with a site plan, floor plan, proof of ownership, a safety inspection report, and a letter from your homeowners association if you have one.
2. Notify the neighbors. Certified mail to owners within 500 feet, and a sign posted on the property.
3. Wait out the 45-day protest window. The application goes to the Planning Commission if enough neighbors object, if two or more permitted rentals already operate within 500 feet, or if you need a variance.
4. Get the permit. The first one lasts up to 3 years. Renewals on Maui can run up to 5 years and must be filed at least 60 days before the permit expires, or they will not be accepted.

The county describes the process as taking several months. Application and renewal fees run into the thousands of dollars, with an extra fee if a public hearing is needed, so check the county's current fee schedule.

What rules apply once a home is permitted?

• A manager on call around the clock, able to be on site within an hour, with an office or home within 30 driving miles
• All parking on site. Two spaces for up to 4 bedrooms, three for 5 or more, and no street parking
• A small sign showing the permit number and a 24-hour phone number
• Every ad showing the permit number and the tax map key, with a link to the house policies
• Quiet hours from 9 p.m. to 8 a.m., no amplified sound past the property line, and no parties
• Smoke detectors in every guest bedroom
• Inspections on one hour's notice

The permit sits on top of the state and county taxes every vacation rental pays (GET, state TAT and Maui County TAT), which I walk through in my vacation rental guide. Permitted homes that are not the owner's main residence are also taxed in the county's short-term rental property tax class, among the highest rates on the island. My guide to Maui property taxes covers the classes.

What happens if you rent without a permit?

The penalties are designed to hurt:

• Up to $20,000 for a first violation, then up to $10,000 a day
• Five years of ineligibility for a permit
• An online listing counts as evidence that you are operating
• For permitted homes, three or more complaints in a year from two or more neighbors can lead to losing the permit

What about a bed and breakfast permit?

A bed and breakfast permit (Chapter 19.64) is the other route, and it works differently:

It suits someone who wants to live in the home and host guests, not someone buying a second home to rent out.

So what are your options as a buyer?

• Buy a condo in a building where vacation rental is legal. This is the path most buyers take. Check whether the building is hotel-zoned or on the county's Minatoya list, because Minatoya buildings face a phase-out starting in 2029 in West Maui and 2031 elsewhere. My short-term rental law page and my list of hotel-zoned condos will help.
• Buy the home for yourself and rent it long term (180 days or more) when you are away. That needs no permit.
• Live on site and host through a bed and breakfast permit, once you meet its 5-year rules.
• Plan for the long game. If you intend to keep a home for decades, the 15-year clock starts at purchase.

If you are looking at a home that is advertised as a vacation rental, ask me before you write an offer, and I will help you sort out what use carries over and what does not. And if you do own a legal vacation rental and need a property manager or on-island contact you can trust, reach out. Between owning rentals and co-owning a management company and brokerage here, I know this side of the business well.

I am a REALTOR, not an attorney. County rules and fees change, so confirm current requirements with the Maui County Department of Planning before you rely on them.

Sources: Maui County Code Chapter 19.65, Short-Term Rental Homes · Chapter 19.64, Bed and Breakfast Homes · Ordinance 5300 (the 15-year rule) · County list of approved Short-Term Rental Homes · Maui County short-term rentals · MAPPS: Short-Term Rental Home permit