Honolulu Zoning Intelligence
Zoning, permitted uses, and development potential for Honolulu, Hawaii. 32 districts with their permitted uses and building controls.
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Zoning districts are shown at zoom 15 and closer. Zoom out for the Honolulu city outline and street context.
How is Honolulu zoned?
Honolulu regulates land through 32 zoning districts, and the largest by an enormous margin is Restricted Preservation at roughly 26,781 acres. Adding General Preservation at about 3,218 acres and Federal And Military Preservation at roughly 3,453, preservation categories cover far more of the city and county than all residential districts combined.
That is the essential context for any site search here. Honolulu's developable land is genuinely constrained, and the preservation districts are the reason.
The residential system states lot size in the code, running R-3.5, R-5, R-7.5, R-10 and R-20. R-5 is the largest residential district at roughly 7,600 acres. Apartments are handled separately at low, medium and high density, with the medium density district covering roughly 1,262 acres.
The mixed use districts use a BMX and IMX notation: community business mixed use, central business mixed use, and industrial commercial mixed use. Naming an industrial and commercial mixed use category explicitly is uncommon and useful in a city where land is scarce.
Waikiki carries its own precinct districts, including public, resort mixed use and apartment precincts, each a separate designation within that special district. A state jurisdiction district covers the Kakaako community development area at roughly 621 acres, where planning authority sits with the state rather than the city. This is pre-development intelligence, not legal advice - verify with the local planning department before acquisition.
Honolulu, Hawaii Zoning Districts: What Do They Mean?
Zoning districts are areas regulated by specific laws that determine land use, building types, and development rules. Each district below shows its zone type. Honolulu's ordinance does not state permitted uses as citywide flags, so they are read from each district's own table rather than summarised here.
| Zone Code | Zone Type | Area |
|---|---|---|
P-1 Restricted Preservation District | - | 26,781 ac |
R-5 Residential District | - | 7,600 ac |
F-1 Federal And Military Preservation District | - | 3,453.2 ac |
R-7.5 Residential District | - | 3,289.3 ac |
What are the building controls in Honolulu?
Setback, height, FAR, lot area, and density controls enforced across Honolulu zoning districts.
- Building height
- Coverage
- Density
- FAR
- Front setback
- Lot
- Lot width
- Pervious
- Rear setback
- Side setback
Honolulu zoning: frequently asked questions
- How much of Honolulu is preservation land?
- Restricted Preservation covers roughly 26,781 acres, with General Preservation at about 3,218 and Federal And Military Preservation at roughly 3,453. Together they cover far more than all residential districts combined.
- What are the Waikiki precinct districts?
- Separate designations within the Waikiki special district, including a public precinct, a resort mixed use precinct and an apartment precinct. A parcel there is governed by its precinct rather than by a citywide district.
- What is the Kakaako district?
- A state jurisdiction community development district covering roughly 621 acres. Planning authority there sits with the state rather than the city, which changes the approval path for any project.
- How is residential zoning coded?
- By lot size, running R-3.5, R-5, R-7.5, R-10 and R-20. R-5 is the largest residential district at roughly 7,600 acres, with R-7.5 second at about 3,289.
- What are the mixed use districts?
- A BMX series covering community business and central business mixed use, and an IMX district covering industrial commercial mixed use. Naming an industrial and commercial mixed category explicitly is uncommon and useful where land is scarce.
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Book a demo →Zoning data is pre-development intelligence, not legal advice. Verify with the Honolulu planning department before acquisition or design.