Case Study: Permitting Short-Term Rentals in Hawaii & What Happened When I Looked for an Airbnb

A few years ago I was searching for an Airbnb in Oahu, Hawaii, and noticed something odd: only some of the listings showed a permit or registration number in the description. That made me pause. Is it required? Could a traveler accidentally book an illegal rental and end up stranded? As I dug in, I found a complex patchwork of county rules, statewide tax requirements, and lots of recent enforcement activity, and even the occasional horror story of guests and hosts left without a place to stay.

Here’s a breakdown of what I learned, what can go wrong, and how this matters for both hosts and guests.

Are listings required to show permit numbers? (Short answer: often, yes.)

At the state level, Hawaii requires transient accommodations to display their Transient Accommodations Tax (TAT) license number in advertisements. That means your listing should include the TAT number (a statewide tax registration) if you’re legally advertising short-term lodging. (Checkmate Rentals)

On top of that, each county has its own permitting or registration regime:

Maui County issues capped Short-Term Rental Home (STRH) permits and maintains a public permit list; owners must follow the county process to be legally operative. (Maui County)
Kauai County posts a list of approved Transient Vacation Rentals (TVRs) and tells the public how to verify whether a property is properly permitted. If a property is not on the list it may have a cease & desist order or other enforcement action. (Kauai County)
Honolulu (City & County of Honolulu) requires certain registration/certification (and in recent years has stepped up enforcement and public awareness campaigns). The city also asks platforms and visitors to check that listings include correct registration or TMK numbers. (City and County of Honolulu)

So while specifics vary by county, many Hawaii jurisdictions require listing your registration/permit and make public permit lists available. If a listing lacks the correct permit info, that’s a red flag.

Why these rules exist (and why they’re enforced hard in Hawaii)

Hawaii faces a potent mix of tourism demand and tight local housing markets. The rules are intended to:

Protect housing stock: when whole apartments or condos are routinely turned into STRs, local residents can’t find long-term rentals.
Address neighborhood impacts: permitting helps cities limit nuisance rentals that worsen parking, noise, and trash problems in neighborhoods.
Ensure guest safety: permits and inspections can require certain safety standards (smoke detectors, egress, parking requirements).
Secure tax compliance: the TAT and local taxes are an important revenue stream; advertising your TAT number helps regulators and visitors know the business is legitimate.

Hawaii counties have been tightening rules as pressure from residents intensified, and that tightening has practical consequences for hosts and for guests who book without checking the permitting status. (Hawaiʻi Appleseed)

Guest nightmares and host horror stories (what I found while researching)

When enforcement intersects with a booking, things can get messy and uncomfy for everyone. A few common scenarios reported in media and local outlets:

Guests checked in, then reported by neighbors. In some recent reported cases, a guest who checked into an apparently listed condo was confronted by an informed neighbor who knew the unit wasn’t legally permitted. The neighbor reported it, and the guest was forced to leave without a refund, scrambling to find last-minute lodging. Local reporting and community commentary make it clear this has happened in multiple neighborhoods, and it leaves the guest out of pocket and the host facing fines or enforcement action. (Beat of Hawaii)
Listings delisted or disabled after owner fails to produce permit. Cities publish permit rolls and ask visitors to check them. Some hosts have had listings removed or been fined for advertising without the required registration or for using an incorrect TAT number. For a guest, that can mean a canceled reservation or a host suddenly unable to accommodate. (City and County of Honolulu)
Hosts facing fees, back taxes, or legal action. Hosts discovered operating illegally may be cited, fined, or required to cease operations; some face substantial penalties or are required to remit unpaid taxes. That legal and financial fallout can be devastating, and risks leaving guests stranded if cities enforce shutdowns quickly. (Hawaiʻi Appleseed)
Platform and enforcement frictions. Some counties have tried to make platforms help with enforcement (requiring platforms to delist illegal units), but litigation and enforcement practicalities mean it’s still a messy landscape. As cities step up public awareness campaigns, they also encourage visitors to check permit numbers before booking to avoid these headaches. (Honolulu Civil Beat)

The bottom line: if you’re a guest and your listing isn’t clearly showing county permits and the TAT number, you’re taking on some risk. And if you’re a host, failing to comply can quickly escalate to fines and loss of income.

How permitting (or lack of it) affects guest experience and host exposure

Guest experience: discovering you’ve booked an unpermitted property can mean canceled stays, frantic rebooking at higher prices, and a general loss of trust in platforms. The emotional and practical costs for guests can be high, especially during peak seasons when alternate lodging is scarce.
Host exposure: missing permits can mean large fines, forced shutdowns, and even reputational damage if neighbors complain publicly. Additionally, hosts who were unaware of permit rules still face penalties; ignorance is rarely an adequate defense.

How to verify a Hawaii listing is legal (quick checklist for guests and hosts)

For Guests (before booking):

Look for the TAT number in the listing (state tax registration). If it’s missing, ask the host for it. Hawaii law requires it to appear in advertisements.
Check the county permit database (Maui, Kauai, Honolulu, Hawaii County each have public lists). Cross-check the TMK/address and permit/TVR number.
If in doubt, contact the county planning office or DPP to confirm. Many counties provide verification guidance and public permit spreadsheets.

For Hosts (getting legit):

Register for the state TAT and display the number in your listing.
Apply for county-level permits/TVR/STRH as required for your island and zone; be prepared for caps or zoning limits (Maui has permit caps per community region).
Prepare for inspections where required: safety, egress, parking, waste management, and recordkeeping.
Keep records, renew on time, and include permit numbers in listings and ads as required.

A glance beyond Hawaii: four cities where rules are stricter or where bans exist

For context, here are four international examples where rules are especially strict, and some have frozen new licenses or are moving toward bans:

Barcelona, Spain: Facing overtourism, Barcelona has announced plans to phase out or heavily restrict tourist flats in many central neighborhoods, with bans or strict caps in some districts. (The Times)
Athens, Greece: Authorities have frozen new short-term rental licenses in parts of central Athens and proposed bans on converted storage spaces and windowless basements listings (WHAT?!); heavy fines apply for violations. (AP News)
Budapest (District VI): In 2024 a district voted to ban short-term rentals starting in 2026, reflecting resident pressure to reclaim housing and quiet neighborhoods. (Reuters)
Montreal, Canada: The city has limited STRs seasonally in some policies and has rolled out strict licensing requirements and restrictions to reduce displacement of long-term housing. (Business Insider)

These cases show a broad global trend: cities facing housing pressure or overtourism are moving from light regulation to aggressive licensing, freezes on new permits, or outright bans in sensitive zones.

Practical takeaways and sensible next steps

Guests: Always check for TAT and county permit/TVR/STRH numbers before booking in Hawaii. If a listing doesn’t show them, ask the host and verify. That simple step can save you the stress of being turned away.
Hosts: Get legal before listing. Apply for state and county registrations, pass inspections, and display required numbers in your listing. The short-term gain of ignoring permits isn’t worth the long-term risk.
Operators & property managers: Build permit checks into your listing and onboarding process. If you target Hawaii, understand island-by-island differences: Maui, Kauai, Honolulu, and Hawaii County each have unique rules and limits.

Final thought

Hawaii’s permitting regime is complex and island-specific, but it exists for reasons that affect both visitors and residents: safety, neighborhood quality, housing supply, and tax fairness. My discovery that only some listings showed permit numbers was a useful reminder: when travel planning, especially in heavily regulated destinations, doing a quick permit check is smart travel hygiene. For hosts, compliance protects your business and your guests.

For more information on permitting, licensing, etc, take a read of my other article, “What “Permit Requirements” for Short-Term Rentals Really Mean.”