HCC §14-53
Which lights are exempt from outdoor lighting rules
Read the official text at hawaiicounty.gov ↗This section lists types of outdoor lights that do not have to follow the county's installation and shielding rules. It covers old lights, fuel-burning lights, holiday decorations, certain residential lights, signs, searchlights, and emergency lights. Some have special limits, like hours of operation.
businesseshomeowners
The ordinance, as written (Hawaiʻi County) — Exemptions
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) Existing light fixtures. All outdoor light fixtures planned and approved by the County or existing and legally installed prior to September 1, 1988, are exempt from the installation and shielding requirements of this article, except that when existing outdoor light fixtures become inoperable, the outdoor light fixtures which replace them shall comply with the requirements of this article. (b) Fossil fuel light. All outdoor light fixtures producing light directly by the combustion of fossil fuels, such as kerosene and gasoline, shall be exempt from the requirements of this article. (c) Holiday decorative lighting. Low wattage fixtures used for holiday decorations shall be exempt from the requirements of this article. 14-23 SUPP. 1 (1-2017) (d) Residential incandescent illumination. Private residential incandescent light fixtures which are fully shielded or have a lumen output of less than eight thousand one hundred lumens for each acre of property that is intended to be illuminated shall be exempt from the requirements of this article. (e) Business signs. Outdoor advertising signs, if constructed of translucent material, and illuminated totally from within and colored with an opaque background using translucent letters or symbols, shall be exempt from the requirements of this article, except that the hours of operation shall be the same as those for Class I outdoor lighting. (f) Searchlights. Searchlights used for advertising purposes shall be exempt from the requirements of this article, except that the operation of such lights is limited to the hours of 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. (g) Emergency lighting. Emergency lighting required for public safety is exempt from the requirements of this article. (1988, ord 88-122, sec 3.)14-53
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.