The following testimony was submitted by the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii for consideration by the Hawai’i County Council Committee on Oct. 22, 2025.
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Oct. 22, 2025, 9 a.m.
Hawai‘i County Council Chambers in Hilo
To: Hawai‘i County Council
Holeka Goro Inaba, Chair
Dennis “Fresh” Onishi, Vice Chair
From: Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
Jonathan Helton, Policy Analyst
RE: Bill 52 (2025) — RELATING TO HENNERIES
Aloha Chair Inaba, Vice Chair Onishi and other members of the Council,
The Grassroot Institute of Hawaii supports Bill 52, Draft 2 (2025), which would allow people to own backyard hens for the purpose of noncommercial egg production in single-family residential, double-family residential, multifamily residential, residential-commercial mixed-use and residential and agricultural zones.
The birds would be limited to two per the first 3,000 square feet of lot area, with an additional bird per 1,000 additional square feet of lot area.
However, Grassroot does suggest striking paragraph (4) of Section 2 of the bill, which would prohibit egg sales, and omitting the word “noncommercial” from the definition of “hennery.”
Instead, backyard henneries should be permitted as a home occupation, which would enable residents to earn extra income and better afford Hawaii’s high cost of living. The benefit of this proposal is that it would enhance Hawaii Island’s self-sufficiency efforts, since raising birds for egg production would also reduce the need for egg imports.
Thank you for the opportunity to testify.
Jonathan Helton
Policy Analyst
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
