Storm contractor rules in Hawaii: price gouging, door-to-door sales and contractor licensing
The Hawaii contractor licence list has its own tree class: C-27b, tree trimming and removal contractor. This page restates what the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs publishes about that class, the licence line and unlicensed work, read on October 10, 2026.
Checked against the sources at the bottom of this page on October 10, 2026. Rules, fees and pay change: the source has the last word.
This page reports what the official source says. It is not legal advice: ask the office named here. The wider picture is on the storm contractor rules page. Every row comes from a page or document of the Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs. No emergency price rule was read for this page on October 10, 2026, so the table says "Not published" for it.
The rules in one table
| Topic | What the source says |
|---|---|
| Tree class | The class list in the Board's document names C-27b, tree trimming and removal contractor: to prune, trim and remove trees, including stumps, and restore the ground to a condition similar to the adjacent area, but not the relocation and planting of field grown trees |
| Landscaping class | C-27, landscaping contractor, covers preparing plots for architectural horticulture and providing tree trimming, decorative treatment and arrangement of gardens, lawns, shrubs, vines, bushes and trees, and building items such as drainage and sprinkler systems and ornamental walls. C-27a is a hydro mulching contractor |
| Specialty contractor | HRS section 444-7(d), as the document prints it, defines a specialty contractor as one who performs construction work requiring special skill, naming landscaping among the examples. The C subclasses sit under that definition in Exhibit A to HAR chapter 16-77 |
| When a licence is required | The Board's FAQ says anyone who offers to, holds oneself out as able to, or contracts to perform residential, commercial or public works construction, alterations or improvements must hold a contractor licence |
| Small-job line | The FAQ says no licence is needed if the aggregate contract price, including labour, materials and taxes, is not more than US$1,000.00 and the work needs no building permit. The Hire a Licensed Contractor page says a licence is required for any project over US$1,500 in labour and material or any project needing a building, electrical or plumbing permit. The two pages give different dollar lines |
| Why licensed, Department's view | The Hire page says a licensed contractor carries workers' compensation and liability insurance, can obtain and sign building permits, and that the Contractors Recovery Fund may be available only if a licensed contractor was hired |
| Checking and reporting | The Department gives a business check site and the phone line 844-808-3222 for checking a licence. Unlicensed activity is reported to the Regulated Industries Complaints Office at 808-587-4272 or toll-free 1-844-808-DCCA (3222), press 3 |
| Licence renewal | Licences are renewed by September 30 of every even-numbered year. For the October 1, 2026 to September 30, 2028 period the Board page shows US$338.00 for an active contractor entity or sole proprietor and US$208.00 for an active responsible managing employee. Licences not renewed by the expiration date are unlicensed and may not practise |
| Door-to-door sales | The Office of Consumer Protection lists door-to-door sales among the complaint types it receives. A cancellation rule: Not published on the pages read |
| Price gouging | Not published on the pages read |
Why the tree class matters on a storm job
The Board separates tree trimming and removal from general landscaping. The C-27b wording covers pruning, trimming and removing trees and stumps and restoring the ground, and it leaves out relocating and planting field grown trees. The landscaping class also mentions tree trimming as part of a wider list of garden work. The documents read do not say which class a person needs for storm debris cleanup that is not tree work.
The FAQ carries a footer date of July 9, 2018, and its fee figures differ from the Board page's renewal figures, so this page uses fees only from the Board page. The two small-job lines in the table are the Department's own words on two pages. For how other states treat tree work, see contractor licences for tree work. The warnings that attorneys general issue after storms are on the storm tree scams page.
Sources
- Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Description of Contractor License Classifications (excerpts of HRS chapter 444 and HAR chapter 16-77), read October 10, 2026
- Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Hire a Licensed Contractor, read October 10, 2026
- Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Contractor frequently asked questions (footer dated July 9, 2018), read October 10, 2026
- Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Contractors License Board, renewal information, read October 10, 2026
- Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Office of Consumer Protection, read October 10, 2026