Maui's Faster Bed & Breakfast Permitting System

Maui's Bed & Breakfast permitting system has recently been through a lot of changes. Due to certain regulations, many have recently had to close their doors, but this year, the permitting system has been processing applications faster. The Maui County ordinance to speed the process was put into place in January of this year. Since then, a third of the applicants have recieved their licenses to open their doors to guests.

Between 1997 and 2008, only fourteen bed and breakfast permits were approved. This year, the Planning Department began processing permits in March and since then, 18 of 54 applications filed have been approved. So far, it looks like the new ordinance is making it easire to get B&B's running whether or not they are located outside of hotel districts.

People who have supported the ordinance have voiced the opinion that B&B's are crucial to vacationers. The difference between vacation rentals and B&B's is that the latter consists of accommodations in a residential neighborhood where the owner-proprietor lives on-site and provides breakfast to guests. 

At this point, you can find Bed and Breakfasts that are able to operate in business, residential and rural/agricultural zones but didn't have to get a conditional use permit. However, there is a cap on how many can exist in a given zone.

The maximum number of B&B's that can exist in South Maui is 100, 40 for upcountry, 48 in Hana, 88 in Paia and Haiku, 36 in Central Maui and 88 in West Maui for a total of 400 on Maui.

If you are looking for East Maui real estate, we reccommend a look at our collection of North Shore Maui condo listings and Haiku homes for sale. Have a look at our Maui Real Estate Specialists page in order to learn more about Jim Sanders Realty. If you need any real estate assistance, please email us at info@jimsandersrealty.com or call (808) 579-8255. Mahalo for reading and have a great weekend!

*Source: The Maui News