September 28, 2026
Maui Bill 9 Explained: What It Means for Vacation Rental Hosts
By The Guest Guide Team · Updated September 28, 2026
Maui Bill 9 is the biggest change to vacation rentals in Hawaii in decades. It ends short-term rentals in thousands of apartment-zoned condos in West and South Maui, on a fixed timeline, and the fight over it is still going in the planning commission, the courts, and the next County Council.
If you host on Maui, manage a condo there, or are thinking about buying one, here is what the bill does, what it does not touch, and what to do while the deadlines approach. This is a plain summary, not legal advice.
What Maui Bill 9 does
Mayor Richard Bissen signed Bill 9 in December 2025. It repeals the exception that let apartment-zoned buildings on the so-called Minatoya list operate as vacation rentals. That list covers 104 properties with more than 7,000 units, all apartment buildings approved by April 20, 1989.
According to AirROI's analysis of the bill, the phase-out has two deadlines:
| Area | Can take guests through |
|---|---|
| West Maui | 2028 |
| Rest of Maui | 2030 |
In both areas, the vacation rental use must end on the following New Year's Day.
What Bill 9 does not affect
The Maui vacation rental ban is narrower than the headlines suggest. It does not touch:
- Hotel-zoned condos
- Permitted short-term rental homes
- Bed and breakfasts
- Timeshare units
- Uses operating under a variance
If your unit is in one of those categories, Bill 9 does not end your rental. If it is in an apartment-zoned building on the Minatoya list, it does.
How big is the impact?
AirROI tracked 7,774 active entire-home rentals in South and West Maui between September 2025 and August 2026. Minatoya list condos were about 45% of those listings, but they booked an estimated 49% of the nights and earned 39% of the revenue, more than 480,000 nights in a year.
A 2025 UHERO study found that ending apartment-district rentals could shrink Maui County's visitor lodging by a quarter.
Maui Bill 9 update: rezoning, lawsuits, and the election
Three things are still in motion.
1. Rezoning. Some buildings have asked to be rezoned to hotel use, which would keep them out of the ban. On September 22, 2026, the Maui Planning Commission voted 6-2 to recommend denying that rezoning for all but five of the 48 properties. The five it endorsed were Hale Kaanapali, Kuau Plaza, Maui Schooner, Hono Koa and Hana Kai. The County Council would need six of nine votes to overrule the commission.
2. The Maui Bill 9 lawsuit. Kāʻanapali Royal owners sued the county on December 19, arguing the bill is an "unconstitutional per se regulatory taking." A second suit was filed as a class action on behalf of all list owners.
3. The November 3 election. The Council will change after the election. Chair Alice Lee is retiring and Vice Chair Yuki Lei Sugimura is running for mayor. Both voted against Bill 9 on first reading.
None of this changes the law today. It could change the details later, so check the county and your building's association for the current status before you make decisions.
What Maui hosts can do now
Whatever happens next, the next two to four years still have guests in them. A few practical steps:
- Confirm your zoning. Know whether your building is on the Minatoya list, hotel-zoned, or permitted some other way. Your association or property manager should know.
- Plan around your deadline. West Maui and the rest of Maui have different end dates. Your future calendar and pricing depend on which one applies.
- Keep reviews strong. If your building is seeking rezoning or you plan to sell, a clean record of well-run stays helps.
- Keep guests informed. Guests read the news too. Some will ask whether their booking is safe. A short, factual line in your guest guide saves you the same message twenty times.
Keep your guest information simple while the rules shift
When the rules around a property keep moving, the last thing you want is guest information scattered across old PDFs and chat threads. A single guest guide link keeps check-in, WiFi, parking and house rules in one place, and you edit it once when something changes.
Guest Guide gives you that link. It opens on any phone with no app, shows door codes and the WiFi password only during the stay, and expires on its own after checkout. There is a free plan to try it.
FAQ
What is Maui Bill 9? A Maui County law, signed in December 2025, that ends vacation rentals in apartment-zoned buildings on the Minatoya list.
When does the Maui vacation rental ban take effect? West Maui units on the list can take guests through 2028 and the rest of Maui through 2030. The use must end the following New Year's Day.
Does Bill 9 affect hotel-zoned condos? No. Hotel-zoned condos, permitted short-term rental homes, bed and breakfasts, and timeshares are not affected.
Is Bill 9 being challenged? Yes. Owners at Kāʻanapali Royal have sued, a class action has been filed, and several buildings have asked to be rezoned to hotel use.
Keep every guest detail in one link while the rules change: get started or see pricing.
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