Maui STR Laws Update... New Hotel Zoning Approved by Bill 88

The Maui County Council passed Bill 88 on second and final reading, 7–2, on June 19, 2026.

Update — June 2026: On June 19, 2026, the Maui County Council approved Bill 88 on its second and final reading in a 7–2 vote, creating two new hotel zoning categories — H-3 and H-4. Bill 88 gives certain apartment-zoned short-term rentals a pathway to keep operating as the county phases out nearly half of Maui’s vacation rentals under Bill 9. Bill 88 does not automatically rezone any property — each condo community must still apply. The bill now heads to Mayor Richard Bissen for signature.

After a couple of challenging years for Maui property owners, we finally got some encouraging news. The Maui County Council has officially approved two new hotel…

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Lahaina Real Estate Update

What Happened to Property Values in Lahaina After the Fire?

It's been almost three years since the August 8, 2023 wildfire swept through Lahaina. As someone who lived here at the time and still owns property in Lahaina, I wanted to go beyond speculation and look at the actual transaction data. We pulled every relevant closed sale from the Realtors Association of Maui MLS across eight Lahaina communities and compared pre-fire and post-fire averages for comparable units. The results are more nuanced than most people expect. Lahaina is not a single market — it's several markets operating simultaneously, and the fire affected each one differently. **Methodology:** All data pulled directly from the Realtors Association of Maui MLS. Closed sales only — no…

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Kihei's Flood Recovery: A Drone Tour One Month After the Storm

It's been one month since the first major storm swept through Maui, and Kihei has been working hard to recover. Since that initial event, the island has seen several additional storms — yet the cleanup and repair progress along South Kihei Road has been remarkable, if uneven. I took my drone up on April 14, 2026 to document what's changed across three of the hardest-hit locations, comparing the footage side-by-side with what I captured on March 15.

Here's what we found.

Location 1: Sugar Beach — North Kihei

Before & After

Sugar Beach Area

Road collapse, undermining, and mud coverage — now largely restored to normal traffic flow.

We started our drone tour at the far north end of Kihei, in the Sugar Beach area. The…

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Maui Condo Market: Down 34% From Peak, But Signs of Stabilization Emerging

The latest Maui real estate statistics tell a clear story: the condo market has experienced a significant crash from its 2024 peak, with prices declining 34% over roughly 17 months. At the same time, the most recent data shows prices leveling off — raising the question of whether the worst is behind us. Here is a full breakdown of the numbers.

Maui Condo Price Decline: By the Numbers

Using a six-month rolling average of median sales prices, here is where the Maui condo market stands as of early 2026:

• Peak median condo price: $972,000 (August 2024)
• Most recent low: $642,500 (January 2026)
• Total decline from peak: approximately 34%
• Months of price stabilization: approximately 5 months
• Single-family home decline from peak: …

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Should You Buy Travel Insurance for Hawaii?

Planning a trip to Hawaii? Before you book anything else, make sure you're covered with the right travel insurance — especially Cancel For Any Reason coverage. Compare plans and get a quote here: →Compare Hawaii Travel Insurance Options  *Affiliate link

I've lived on Maui for nearly two decades. And one of the most common questions I get from people planning a Hawaii trip isn't about which beach to visit or where to stay — it's some version of this:

"What if something comes up and I have to cancel? Am I just out all that money?"

The honest answer depends entirely on what kind of travel insurance you bought — and when you bought it. So let me break down exactly how this works, because most people don't understand the difference between standard…

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Maui STR Ban: The First Lawsuit and What It Means for Kaanapali Owners and the Market

Maui STR Ban is no longer hypothetical. Less than a week after the county passed Bill 9, more than 40 condo owners in the Kaanapali area filed a lawsuit claiming the new law strips them of decades of vested rights and slashes property values. This post breaks down the Kaanapali Royal case, the legal arguments being made, and practical implications for buyers and sellers on Maui.

Where this started: Kaanapali Royal and the Kaanapali resort neighborhood

Kopali Royal is a 105-unit condominium complex built in 1980, with two-bedroom, two-bath units sitting on the Kapalua golf course and surrounded by major resorts. For nearly 45 years, apartment-zoned condos in this resort pocket have operated as short-term rentals. Owners point to original…

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Who REALLY Owns Maui ???

Maui's Largest Land Owners: Who Controls the 95% Nobody Talks About

Only about 5% of Maui’s land falls into urban or rural use categories. The remaining 95% is conservation or agricultural land, mostly undeveloped. That raises a simple but powerful question: who actually controls Maui’s land — the parts people live on and the vast stretches they rarely see? Understanding Maui's Largest Land Owners matters for housing, water, wildfire risk, and the future of the island.

Why land ownership on Maui matters

Maui’s built environment — homes, stores, and resorts — occupies a very small slice of the island. The rest is organized around watersheds, native ecosystems, pasture, and former plantation lands. Whoever holds these large parcels…

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Lahaina Maui Recovery Update - Nov 2025

It has been more than four months since my last full aerial update of Lahaina, and after driving around town I can already tell you the residential rebuild momentum is real. Hundreds of homes are actively under construction, neighborhoods are changing every week, and some historic and commercial pieces of the town remain in planning phases or under repair.

This report walks through the coastline from the south end of Lahaina to the north, then up Lahainaluna Road into the burn zone and down the Koma Stream corridor. I cover permitting and rebuild statistics, neighborhood snapshots, infrastructure milestones, debris removal updates, temporary housing, economic impacts, and projected timelines. I also share what I see on the ground and in the air so…

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Maui STR Ban - The TIG Recommendations Deep Dive

Maui Short Term Rental Ban: Latest on Bill 9, the TIG Recommendations, and What Comes Next

Aloha. If you have been following the Maui Short Term Rental Ban discussion, this is a focused update that breaks down the Temporary Investigative Group recommendations, what the mayor had to say, and the practical steps being proposed to implement change. This article walks through the core recommendations, the proposed H3 and H4 zoning solution, how Exhibit 2 factors into the process, the timeline questions raised by the planning commission and council members, and what property owners should expect. I aim to give you straightforward clarity so you can understand the implications of the Maui Short Term Rental Ban and make informed decisions.

Quick…

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Maui Short Term Rental Ban Update: County Council releases investigative report with proposed changes

Maui Short Term Rentals for Sale: Major Update on Bill 9 and TIG Recommendations

If you are researching Maui Short Term Rentals for Sale, this update is important. The County Council's Temporary Investigative Group or TIG has released recommendations that clarify which apartment zoned properties the council is considering rezoning to hotel status and which properties may still face a phase out under Bill 9. These are recommendations only and do not yet change any law, but they significantly narrow the scope of the original proposal.

Quick summary

The TIG report includes an exhibit listing apartment zoned properties they suggest be rezoned to allow continued short term rental use as hotel properties. If the exhibit 2 list stands, the…

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