Waive registration rules for B&Bs destroyed by declared disasters

The following testimony was submitted by the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii for consideration by the Moloka’i Planning Commission on May 14, 2025.
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May 14, 2025, 11 a.m.
Remote meeting

To: Moloka‘i Planning Commission
      Zhantell Lindo, Chair
      Shannon Kaahanui, Vice Chair

From: Jonathan Helton, Policy Analyst
            Grassroot Institute of Hawaii

RE: Item C(1) — A BILL FOR AN ORDINANCE AMENDING CHAPTER 19.64 (BED AND BREAKFAST HOMES), MAUI COUNTY CODE

Aloha Chair Lindo, Vice Chair Kaahanui and other members of the Commission,

The Grassroot Institute of Hawaii supports item C(1), which would waive registration rules for bed and breakfasts destroyed in a disaster declared to be a state or local emergency.

This bill is critical for at least five bed and breakfast owners in West Maui whose properties were damaged or destroyed by the disastrous Aug. 8, 2023 wildfires. Table 1 contains further information.

Table 1: Damaged or destroyed West Maui bed and breakfasts

Source: “Permitted Bed and Breakfast Homes (B&Bs),” Maui County, p. 7.

Current county ordinance requires that would-be bed and breakfast operators must have owned their dwellings for at least five years — and the dwellings must be at least 5-years-old — before they can apply for a bed and breakfast permit.

Rules also require that a person applying for a bed and breakfast permit must live in the dwelling — a situation that is impossible if the dwelling has been significantly damaged or destroyed in the fires.

Waiving these two parts of the code would help Lahaina’s bed and breakfast proprietors get back on their feet economically and contribute to the county and state tax base as well.

The bill would also codify such a waiver for future disasters, including ones that might affect Moloka‘i.

Thank you for the opportunity to testify.

Jonathan Helton
Policy Analyst
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii