Ask the Mayor: How Many ‘Ohana Are Allowed On a Property?

Mayor Alan Arakawa answers some of the questions submitted to his staff.

Submit your own questions about County of Maui programs, services, operations or policies to Mayor Alan Arakawa at [email protected], (808) 270-7855 or mail them to 200 S. High St., 9th Floor, Wailuku, HI 96793.

Questions submitted will be considered for inclusion in the “Ask the Mayor” column.

Mayor Alan Arakawa answers some of the most-asked questions submitted to his office staff.

Aloha,

Q: How many ‘ohana units are allowed on half-acre of land in Maui County? I have read where the answer is one unit and I’ve also seen two units. Can you tell me which is correct? Or, under what circumstances each might be permittable?

A: You will find the provisions for ‘ohana (called “accessory dwellings” in our code) in Chapter 19.35 of the Maui County Code.

In regard to your half-acre lot, if it is zoned residential, then it can have one ‘ohana of no more than 500 square feet, in addition to the main house. Also, no more than one accessory dwelling shall be permitted on a single lot regardless of the size of the lot.

There are bills pending before the County Council’s Land Use Committee that would allow ‘ohana on smaller lots and that would allow two ‘ohana on larger lots. The Maui County Planning Department is also working on a bill to increase the size of the ‘ohana, which we hope to forward to the council later this year.