The Kaanapali Royal is a 105-unit condo complex in Kaanapali, in West Maui. It’s one of the apartment-zoned properties where Bill 9 ends nightly vacation rentals, and West Maui has the earlier deadline: January 1, 2029. The County Council sent it to the Planning Commission for possible hotel rezoning, but the commission recommended against it. Owners here also filed one of the two lawsuits trying to stop the law.
Kaanapali Royal: Bill 9 status
Kaanapali, Maui · 105 units on the county list
Recommended against rezoning- Vacation rental deadlineJanuary 1, 2029, unless the property is rezoned to a hotel district
- Hotel rezoningReferred for H-3/H-4 hotel zoning under Resolution 26-110 (timeshare, leasehold and other properties), adopted by the Council July 24, 2026.
- Planning CommissionRecommended denial of hotel zoning on Sept. 22, 2026 (6-2 vote; 43 of 48 properties denied).
- County CouncilBack to Council for final vote; overriding the denial recommendation takes 6 of 9 votes.
- AlsoLeasehold. Owners sued the county over Bill 9 (Malter v. Maui County, 2CCV-25-0003778, filed Dec. 19, 2025, 2nd Circuit Court).
Last checked October 28, 2026. Confirm a specific unit's zoning with the County of Maui Department of Planning.
The lawsuit
In December 2025, a group of Kaanapali Royal owners sued Maui County in Second Circuit Court. Their case, like the separate class-action suit filed days later, argues that ending vacation rental use takes owners’ property rights without compensation. As of this writing we haven’t found a ruling that blocks Bill 9, so the deadline still stands.
Rezoning
The way a building keeps nightly rentals is by being rezoned into the new H-3 or H-4 hotel districts. In July 2026 the Council included the Kaanapali Royal in Resolution 26-110, a batch of timeshare, leasehold and other properties sent to the Planning Commission for review.
On Sept. 22, 2026, the commission recommended denying hotel zoning for 43 of the 48 properties in front of it, including the Kaanapali Royal. The decision now goes back to the Council. To approve the rezoning against the commission’s recommendation, the Council needs six of its nine votes. Until that happens, plan around the 2029 deadline.
What it means if you own a unit here
- If the building is rezoned to hotel: nightly rentals can continue under the hotel district rules, and the Bill 9 deadline no longer applies.
- If it isn’t: nightly rentals have to stop by the deadline. After that you can live in the unit, rent it long-term (30 days or more) or sell it.
- Either way: run the long-term rental numbers now. If rent won’t cover the mortgage, HOA dues, insurance and property tax, that’s the decision you’re really facing, and it’s better to know before the deadline than after.
Buyers know about Bill 9 too. If you’re thinking about selling, it helps to know who’s buying in your building now and what they’re paying.
See the status of other buildings on our Maui Bill 9 building tracker, or read the full Bill 9 explainer.
Sources
- Maui Council passes Bill 9, 5-3, on second and final reading, Maui Now, Dec. 15, 2025
- As expected, Bill 9 challenged in court, Maui Now, Jan. 2, 2026
- New hotel zoning for vacation rentals passes Maui Council on final vote, 7-2, Maui Now, June 22, 2026
- Maui Council refers 32 shoreline condo complexes for hotel rezoning, Maui Now, Sept. 30, 2026
General information as of October 2026, not legal or tax advice. Zoning decisions and court cases are ongoing. Confirm the status of a specific unit with the County of Maui Department of Planning and your own attorney.