Do you need a permit?
It depends on the tree
Kāneʻohe sits in the City and County of Honolulu and has no tree ordinance of its own. Honolulu regulates two things island-wide: trees on the Register of Exceptional Trees, which cannot be removed without City Council approval and cannot even be pruned without a Parks and Recreation permit, and street trees in the planting strip between the curb and your property line. The City does not publish a clear blanket rule for ordinary trees inside a private yard, so check your specific tree with the Division of Urban Forestry before cutting.
What's protected in Kaneohe
- Trees on the City and County of Honolulu Register of Exceptional Trees (individually designated by the City Council under ROH Chapter 40, Article 8)
- Street trees — any tree in the "planting strip" between the curb or pavement of a street and the adjacent property line
How to apply in Kaneohe
- 1
Check whether your tree is on the Register of Exceptional Trees, published with ROH Chapter 40, Article 8.
- 2
To prune an exceptional tree, 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
Removing an exceptional tree requires approval from the City Council under ROH § 40-8.8(a).
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)). Pruning, spraying, removing, or injuring a planting-strip street tree without a permit is punishable on conviction by a fine not exceeding $500, imprisonment not exceeding six months, or both.
- Ordinance
- Revised Ordinances of Honolulu, Chapter 40, Article 8 — Protective Regulations for Exceptional Trees; Department of Parks and Recreation "Rules and Regulations Relative to Planting and Maintenance of Street Trees"
Worth knowing
- Honolulu's ordinance has no size trigger. Designation is tree-by-tree, decided by the City Council on criteria of historic or cultural value, age, rarity, location, size, esthetic quality, or endemic status.
- The nine-member Arborist Advisory Committee that reviews these trees meets monthly, with meetings announced about a week ahead by the City Clerk's Office, and the public can testify.
- Anyone can nominate a tree — including someone else's — for exceptional status using the Exceptional Tree and Palm Nomination Application. If a tree near you is designated, the restriction runs with the property.
- The City may trim obstructing or hazardous portions of a private tree that overhangs or projects into a street.
- Hawaiʻi state law (HRS § 235-19) allows an income tax deduction of up to $3,000 per exceptional tree for maintenance spending, once in every three consecutive tax years.
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 in Kāneʻohe. No City and County of Honolulu source states a general rule or a diameter exemption.
- — Permit fees for exceptional-tree pruning or street tree work.
- — Whether Special Management Area or shoreline setback rules add an approval step for vegetation removal on lots near Kāneʻohe Bay. Ask the Department of Planning and Permitting.
Sources
- City and County of Honolulu — Exceptional Tree Program, Division of Urban Forestry
- Revised Ordinances of Honolulu § 40-8.8 (Regulations) — official code library
- City and County of Honolulu DPR — Rules and Regulations Relative to Planting and Maintenance of Street Trees (PDF)
- Hawaiʻi Revised Statutes § 235-19 — Exceptional trees; tax deduction