Bill > HB189

This bill amends Hawaii's agricultural district regulations to provide more comprehensive guidelines for agricultural tourism. It requires counties to create ordinances that establish detailed procedures for reviewing and permitting agricultural tourism uses on working farms, both as accessory and secondary uses. The bill mandates that these ordinances must include specific requirements such as farm access details, facility restrictions, permissible visitor activities, operation hours, and automatic termination of tourism uses if farming ceases. Critically, the bill introduces two new key provisions: first, that the principal agricultural use must preexist any tourism-related land use or building permits, and second, that agricultural tourism can only occur on land with ongoing productive agricultural use, which is defined as property that is taxed as agricultural and current on its tax obligations. Counties retain the ability to require environmental assessments and can establish special permits for agricultural tourism activities. The bill aims to balance agricultural preservation with economic opportunities by providing a structured framework for farms to diversify their income through tourism while ensuring that the primary agricultural purpose remains paramount.

Agriculture and Natural Resources

https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=HB&billnumber=189&year=2025