May 20, 2026, 8:30 a.m.
Historic County Building
To: Kaua’i County Council
Mel Rapozo, Chair
KipuKai Kuali’i, Vice Chair
From: Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
Jonathan Helton, Policy Analyst
RE: Bill 2997 — RELATING TO APIARIES AND BEEKEEPING
Aloha Chair Rapozo, Vice Chair Kuali’i and other members of the Council,
The Grassroot Institute of Hawaii supports Bill 2997, which would make apiaries a permitted use in all county zoning districts and establish generally accepted management practices for beekeeping.
Specifically, these best practices for beekeeping would include hive maintenance, protecting hives from bright lights at night and managing colonies to prevent swarming. As is the case in other counties, any complaints about improperly kept bees would be referred to the Hawaii Department of Health’s Vector Control Branch.
Each beekeeper would be limited to no more than 15 hives on a lot smaller than 20,000 square feet, unless they obtained approval from the county Planning Department.
This legislation would help Kauai’s agricultural producers by expanding the number of pollinators and by creating more opportunities to sell honey and related products.
Beekeeping already plays an important role in the state’s agricultural economy and even the U.S. farming sector. The Big Island Beekeepers Association has testified that Hawai‘i Island alone supplies 75% of Canada’s queen bees and 30% to 35% of the mainland’s queens. Queen sales, in addition to hobbyists selling honey and wax, make beekeeping a $20 million industry on Hawaii Island.[1]
Because certain mainland crops, nuts and fruits depend on commercial pollination, it is no understatement to say that Hawaii’s bees help feed the world.
Hawaii County has the vast majority of the state’s hives, but Kauai’s climate and strong farming sector present an opportunity for aspiring commercial and hobbyist beekeepers.
This legislation would also make Kauai the second county to modernize its beekeeping rules recently. In 2024, Hawai‘i County lawmakers passed a sweeping bill that removed outdated permits and legalized beekeeping in all zones, subject to reasonable setback limits and health and safety rules.[2]
The bill would also fulfill one of the stated goals of the county’s zoning code.
Kauai’s zoning code states in its purpose that “This Chapter is adopted for the purpose of… maintain[ing] the concept of Kaua’i as ‘The Garden Isle,’ thus assuring that any growth will be consistent with the unique landscape and environmental character of the Island.”[3] Promoting beekeeping across the island would certainly help maintain the county’s character and advance the goals of its existing zoning code.
Grassroot does have some questions about the proposed changes to the definitions of “animal” and “livestock” in the bill, and we will investigate them further before it is heard by the Kauai Planning Commission.
Thank you again for the opportunity to testify.
Jonathan Helton
Policy Analyst
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
1050 Bishop St. #508 | Honolulu, HI 96813 | 808-864-1776 | info@grassrootinstitute.org
[1] June 20, 2024 meeting of the Hawaii County Leeward Planning Commission. See the 5:29:20 mark.
[2] “Hawaii Island beekeepers rejoice at Council’s passage of Bill 144,” Grassroot Institute of Hawaii, Sep. 8, 2024.
[3] § 8-1.2 Purpose, Kauai County Code, accessed May 15, 2026.
