HCC §10-25
Rules for drainage around excavations and fills
Read the official text at hawaiicounty.gov ↗This section requires that when you dig or fill land, you must manage surface water so it does not damage the slopes or collect in holes. You must direct water to a safe place approved by the public works director, and you cannot block natural underground water flow that could harm neighbors.
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The ordinance, as written (Hawaiʻi County) — Drainage
A copy, taken August 21, 2026. The version published by Hawaiʻi County is the one that governs, and it may have changed since. Check it before relying on anything here.
(a) Adequate provisions shall be made to prevent surface waters from damaging the cut face of an excavation or the sloping surfaces of a fill. All drainage provisions shall be designed to carry surface waters to a street, storm drain, natural water course, or other area, approved by the director of public works as a safe place to deposit and receive such waters. The director of public works may require such drainage structures and pipes to be constructed or installed, which in his opinion, are necessary to prevent erosion damage and to satisfactorily carry off surface waters. (b) Whenever the surface of a lot is excavated or filled, positive drainage shall be provided to prevent the accumulation or retention of surface water in pits, gullies, holes, or similar depressions which may create a hazard or nuisance. (c) The flow of any existing and known natural underground drainage shall not be impeded or changed so as to cause damage to adjoining property.
Published by the County of Hawaiʻi Office of the County Clerk.
LawTrove is not legal advice. The summary above is a computer-generated restatement — the authoritative text is the official version linked above.