Do you need a permit?
It depends on the tree
Honolulu protects individually designated "exceptional trees" under a county ordinance, and any work on one — including pruning — needs an approved permit first. Trees that have not been designated are not covered by that ordinance, but the city has not published a clear blanket rule for ordinary trees on private property, so confirm your specific tree with the Division of Urban Forestry before you cut.
What's protected in Honolulu
- Trees on the Register of Exceptional Trees (individually designated by the City Council)
- Street trees and trees in the public right-of-way (separate rules apply)
How to apply in Honolulu
- 1
Check the Register of Exceptional Trees to see whether your tree is designated.
- 2
If it is, complete the Application for Exceptional Tree Crown and/or Root Pruning.
- 3
Have a qualified arborist complete the Qualified Arborist Application Form.
- 4
Email signed copies to duf@honolulu.gov, or mail them to the Arborist Advisory Committee at 3902 Pākī Avenue, Honolulu, HI 96815.
- 5
Wait for the Arborist Advisory Committee to review. The committee meets monthly and meetings are announced about a week ahead by the City Clerk.
- 6
Removal is a different and much harder track: ROH § 40-8.8(a) requires approval from the City Council, not just a department permit.
Fees, penalties, and the ordinance
- Penalties
- Removing or destroying a designated exceptional tree without City Council approval: fine of not more than $1,000 (ROH § 40-8.8(a)). ROH § 40-8.8(b) separately makes it unlawful to alter the characteristic shape of an exceptional tree or remove any branch without a permit from the Department of Parks and Recreation, so pruning is regulated too.
- Ordinance
- Revised Ordinances of Honolulu, Chapter 40, Article 8 — Protective Regulations for Exceptional Trees
Worth knowing
- A tree can be nominated as exceptional based on historic or cultural value, age, rarity, location, size, aesthetic quality, or endemic status. The committee inspects the tree and recommends to the City Council.
- Hawaii’s county exceptional-tree programs trace back to the state Exceptional Tree Act, which directs each county to maintain an arborist advisory committee.
What we could not confirm
We would rather tell you what we don't know than guess. Call the office below to confirm these before you cut.
- — Whether a permit is required to remove an ordinary, non-designated tree on private property. Several commercial sites state a diameter exemption, but we could not confirm any such threshold in a City and County of Honolulu source, so we are not repeating it.
- — Any permit fee. The City does not publish a fee for exceptional-tree pruning permits or street tree permits.