Hawaii rolled out a stack of new laws and regulations on January 1, 2026. Some are already hitting visitors’ wallets. Others are lurking in the background, waiting for the first rental car ticket or unexpected park fee to ruin someone’s afternoon.

Most of these changes flew under the radar. Some took effect with the new year; others changed again during 2026. Here’s what to know before you go, with direct official links where the implementation details can move.

Hawaii’s Transient Accommodations Tax (TAT) rose from 10.25% to 11% on January 1, 2026. Governor Josh Green signed Act 96 in May 2025, branding it the “Green Fee” — Hawaii’s first-in-the-nation climate-focused accommodation tax.

Combined with county surcharges and the General Excise Tax, the total tax on your hotel room looks like this:

Statewide: 11% TAT + 3% County TAT + up to a 4.712% maximum GET pass-on = roughly 18.7% when the accommodation passes the full GET and county surcharge through to the guest. All four counties have a 0.5% GET surcharge in effect in 2026; the Hawaii Department of Taxation lists the current maximum pass-on rates.

On a $300 nightly room charge, 18.7% would be about $56 per night. The actual bill can differ because GET is imposed on the business and a property may pass through less than the maximum rate; taxable resort fees and other charges can also change the base.

The Green Fee revenue is directed to climate resilience, environmental stewardship, and hazard mitigation under Act 96.

What to do: Budget roughly 18-19% in taxes on top of a quoted room rate. If a booking site shows “taxes and fees included,” verify that it reflects the 2026 rate.

This one is catching people. Act 171 made it illegal statewide to park within 20 feet of any crosswalk or intersection — “regardless of the presence or absence of official signs or curb markings.”

That last part is the problem. Hawaii law recognizes crosswalks at intersections even when they’re not painted on the road. An unmarked intersection still counts, and Act 171 sets a $50 fine for a violation. Towing, when separately authorized, can add an operator-dependent cost.

Act 171 directs the penalties to the Safe Routes to School Program. For visitors, the immediate point is simpler: an unpainted corner can still be a legally protected crossing.

What to do: Stay 20+ feet from any intersection or crosswalk when parking on the street. When in doubt, don’t park near a corner. Your rental car company won’t cover the ticket.

Hawaii Fees and Reservations: What to Book Ahead

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Hawaii has been steadily adding fees to state parks over the past few years. In 2026, four more parks joined the list:

Wailuku River State Park (Rainbow Falls) on the Big Island — $5/person, $10/vehicle.

Kekaha Kai State Park (Kua Bay) on the Big Island — $5/person, $10/vehicle.

Wailua River State Park (Opaeka’a Falls) on Kauai — both a $5 non-resident entry fee per person and a $10 parking fee per vehicle.

Pu’u Ualaka’a State Wayside (Tantalus Lookout) on Oahu — $7/vehicle parking fee.

The new entry and parking fees apply to non-residents. Check the DLNR State Parks fee guidance for current resident-documentation rules and any age-based exemptions before the visit.

A family of four hitting Rainbow Falls, Kua Bay, and Waimea Canyon in the same trip is looking at $90+ in park fees alone. It adds up.

What to do: Budget for park fees, especially on multi-island trips. Check the DLNR State Parks website for current rates and payment methods. Wailua River State Park’s official visitor notice says private-party payments are credit-card only. For fee-free alternatives, many county beach parks remain free.

Maui County’s Bill 9, signed by Mayor Richard Bissen in late 2025, phases out short-term vacation rentals in apartment-zoned areas across Maui and Molokai.

Maui County says 6,208 Minatoya-listed units were actively operating as short-term rentals as of May 29, 2024. The County says 94% of affected units are owned by people who do not live in Maui County; about 60% are in South Maui and 36% in West Maui.

The timeline: West Maui properties must transition out by January 1, 2029. South Maui by January 1, 2031. Those phase-out deadlines do not remove the affected units in 2026.

The County also notes that a Temporary Investigative Group recommended 4,519 units for possible transition into proposed H-3 or H-4 hotel districts. That path still depends on Council action and regulatory approval, so travelers should verify the exact property rather than treating an entire condominium building as exempt.

What to do: Maui vacation rentals still operate in 2026. Verify the exact property’s authorization before booking and read the cancellation terms. Hotels, timeshares, bed-and-breakfasts, and many permitted rentals remain available, but Bill 9 applies differently by zoning and location. For a deeper breakdown, see our Maui vacation rental rules guide.

Hawaiʻi County passed Ordinance 25-50 requiring hosted and unhosted transient vacation rentals to register with the County. The implementation date moved more than once, and the County’s current code table lists September 1, 2026 as the effective date. Bill 175, Draft 2 would let the planning director delay registration enforcement, if necessary, through December 31, 2026; the Council passed that draft at first reading on August 5, so the grace period was not yet enacted when this guide was updated.

The amended ordinance lists registration fees of $250 for hosted rentals and $500 for unhosted rentals. Hosting platforms must submit monthly reports of listings covered by their booking services.

The practical effect: implementation status may differ during the transition. For a stay after September 1, ask how the property complies and check the Hawaiʻi County Planning Department’s current transient-vacation-rental guidance.

What to do: Ask for the property’s county authorization and state tax registration before paying a deposit. Do not treat a listing on a major platform as proof of compliance. Hotels and qualifying resort accommodations follow different rules.

This isn’t a 2026 change — Hawaii banned the sale of sunscreens containing oxybenzone and octinoxate statewide back in 2021. But it’s still the rule visitors are most surprised by, so it earns a spot on this list.

Statewide: Sunscreens with oxybenzone or octinoxate cannot be sold without a prescription. Our Hawaii sunscreen law guide explains the statewide rule and the stricter county standards.

Maui County goes further: Since October 2022, only mineral-based sunscreens (zinc oxide or titanium dioxide active ingredients) can be sold or used. Fines up to $1,000.

What to do: Check the active-ingredient label and choose a mineral sunscreen based on zinc oxide or titanium dioxide. If you buy before the trip, compare mineral sunscreen options on Amazon and verify the ingredients rather than relying only on a “reef-safe” marketing label.

None of these changes should scare anyone away from a Hawaii trip. But they do change the math.

The 11% state accommodation tax, county surcharges, and newly added park fees can materially change a trip budget. The statewide 20-foot parking rule can also produce a ticket even when a curb is not painted or signed.

Know the rules before you go. Budget for the fees. And rent a car through Discount Hawaii Car Rental to keep at least one part of your budget under control.