Haw. Rev. Stat. § 666 § 666-20
Rent control ordinances.
Operative Text
Nothing in this chapter shall be deemed to authorize the eviction of a tenant contrary to any rent control ordinance declaring an emergency arising out of a housing shortage and prohibiting termination of tenancies or restricting the grounds for termination thereof, pursuant to the powers conferred by section 62-34(11) and section 70-65, so long as such emergency continues. [L 1943, c 102, §4; RL 1945, §10418; RL 1955, §240-20; HRS §666-20]
Hawaii Revised Statutes § 666-20 establishes that the general eviction procedures set out in Chapter 666 do not override local rent control ordinances that were enacted in response to a declared housing-shortage emergency. When such an emergency is in effect, those ordinances may prohibit landlords from terminating tenancies or may limit the permissible grounds for doing so. The provision remains operative only for as long as the declared emergency continues.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Under Haw. Rev. Stat. § 666-20, property owners and managers operating in a jurisdiction that has enacted an emergency rent control ordinance must recognize that the standard Chapter 666 eviction framework does not supersede those local rules. A compliant operator generally reviews whether any applicable local ordinance restricts or prohibits tenancy terminations before initiating eviction proceedings. Staying current on the status of any declared housing-shortage emergency in the relevant locality is a standard part of compliance practice.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Haw. Rev. Stat. § 666-20 preserves the protections of local emergency rent control ordinances, meaning that a landlord cannot rely solely on Chapter 666 procedures to evict a tenant if a local ordinance prohibits or restricts such terminations during a declared housing shortage. Tenants may be able to raise the existence of a qualifying local ordinance as a defense in an eviction proceeding. Tenant-rights organizations and local rent boards can be useful resources for understanding whether a relevant emergency ordinance applies in a given locality.
General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.
Generated October 23, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
Effective Timeline
References Out
Rules and statutes cited by this regulation
References In
Rules and statutes that cite this regulation