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Hawaii · reviewed September 2026

Seasonal RV site agreements in Hawaii

What Hawaii law says about seasonal and annual RV guests, sub-metered electricity, sales tax and online signatures — and the clauses your agreement should carry because of it. Written for park owners, not lawyers.

Guest or tenant?Hawaii's Landlord-Tenant Code covers 'dwelling units' broadly and its exclusion list only carves out 'transient occupancy on a day-to-day basis in a hotel or motel.' RV sites and campgrounds are not mentioned, and there is no day threshold specific to RVs.
Metered electricNo Hawaii statute or PUC rule specific to campground or RV-park electric submetering was found.
Sales / lodging taxHawaii's General Excise Tax (4% plus county surcharge) applies to essentially all gross rental income, including site rent, with no long-term exemption.
Signing onlineUniform Electronic Transactions Act (HRS ch. 489E)

Short version. Details, citations and sources are below.

Is a seasonal guest a tenant in Hawaii?

Hawaii's Landlord-Tenant Code covers 'dwelling units' broadly and its exclusion list only carves out 'transient occupancy on a day-to-day basis in a hotel or motel.' RV sites and campgrounds are not mentioned, and there is no day threshold specific to RVs. A monthly or annual RV-site occupant who lives in the unit could plausibly be treated as a residential tenant; private long-term RV parks are rare in Hawaii and no RV-specific case law or statute was found.

What that means for notices and removal

Not specifically addressed. If treated as a tenant, month-to-month terminations require 45 days' notice from the landlord under HRS § 521-71 and removal goes through summary possession (district court). Verify with Hawaii counsel.

Cite: HRS ch. 521; exclusions at HRS § 521-7

Sub-metering electricity to RV sites in Hawaii

No Hawaii statute or PUC rule specific to campground or RV-park electric submetering was found. Submetering is generally described as permitted at the state level, but rate and markup rules are not codified for this setting; the local utility's tariff (HECO/HELCO/MECO, KIUC) governs resale and should be checked before billing sites separately.

Sales and lodging tax on seasonal sites in Hawaii

Hawaii's General Excise Tax (4% plus county surcharge) applies to essentially all gross rental income, including site rent, with no long-term exemption. The Transient Accommodations Tax (10% state from 2026, plus county TAT) applies to lodging let to a transient for less than 180 consecutive days; the TAT definition names hotels, dwelling units, and 'vehicle[s] equipped with... sleeping accommodations' but does not expressly list campsites, so treatment of bare RV pads is unclear and stays of 180+ consecutive days fall outside the TAT presumption.

Cite: HRS ch. 237 (GET); HRS §§ 237D-1, 237D-2 (TAT); HAR § 18-237D-1-07

Signing agreements online in Hawaii

Uniform Electronic Transactions Act. Electronic signatures are valid for seasonal site agreements when the guest agrees to sign electronically, intends to sign, and the record is kept in a form that can be reproduced and shown not to have changed. Seasonal Sites records the signer’s typed name, email, time, IP address and a SHA-256 fingerprint of the exact text signed, and stores the signed PDF.

Cite: HRS ch. 489E

Clauses to include in a Hawaii seasonal agreement

These are added on top of the eleven sections in the free template. Adjust the bracketed parts and have a local attorney read the result.

Recreational use, not a residence"The Site is licensed for recreational use only. The Guest maintains a permanent residence elsewhere at the address above, and the Site is not the Guest’s primary residence. Nothing in this agreement creates a residential tenancy." In this state the line between a recreational guest and a residential tenant is what decides which removal process applies, so say it plainly and keep the guest’s home address on file.
Notice periodMatch the notice periods in your termination section to the ones the state uses (45-day notice appears in the rules summarized above) rather than inventing shorter ones; a shorter contractual notice is not enforceable where the statute sets a floor.
Metered electricityBill metered electricity at your actual utility cost and say so in the agreement; where a state or utility tariff speaks to resale, at-cost pass-through is the safe harbor everywhere we looked.
Term length and taxState the exact term dates and that the agreement is for a continuous stay of 180 days or more, and keep the signed copy with the term on it — where the summary above shows a long-stay exemption, that document is usually what the auditor asks for.
Electronic signature consent"The Guest consents to sign this agreement electronically and to receive invoices, receipts and notices by email at the address above." Keep the signer name, email, date/time, IP address and a fingerprint of the signed text.

Get the free seasonal site agreement template

Eleven plain-English sections, Word and PDF, with bracketed fields to fill in. Then paste the Hawaii clauses above into it.

Or skip the paperwork entirely

Seasonal Sites takes this same agreement, fills in each guest’s name, site, rate and dates, emails them a link to sign on their phone, puts the installments on autopay, bills metered electric from your readings, and keeps the signed PDF with the audit record. Renewals for the whole park go out in one click. It works beside whatever reservation system you already use.

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Sources

This page summarizes public sources as of September 2026 for park owners and is not legal or tax advice. Statutes, tariffs and tax rules change; confirm anything you rely on with the agency or an attorney licensed in Hawaii. Found an error? Email hello@seasonalsites.com.