HAR § 12-46 § 12-46-307

Discrimination on the basis of familial status.

In Force
Verified 10/23/2026 · Next check 10/30/2026
effective 10/23/2026HawaiiFamilial Status Protection

Operative Text

HAR § 12-46 § 12-46-307
It is a discriminatory practice for an owner or any person engaging in a real estate transaction, or for a real estate broker or salesperson to:
(1) Refuse to engage in a real estate transaction with a person because of familial status;
(2) Impose house rules, by-laws, or other provisions, established by a condominium association, cooperative association, apartment complex tenants’, owners’, or leaseholders’ association, or any other organization or association, which by intent or effect discriminate against a person because of familial status;
Example:
House rules (e.g. “two person limit to a bedroom”) which have the effect of discriminating (“adverse impact”) against persons with children (because the overall square footage is large enough under housing code for three persons) are unlawful unless the rule can be justified by establishing a business necessity. House rules (e.g. “no families with children”) which intentionally discriminate against persons with children are unlawful unless there is a specific exemption for the rule under this subchapter or sections 515-4 or 515-8, HRS.
(3) Impose occupancy limits on a housing accommodation sought by a person because of familial status, unless such limits are justified by establishing a business necessity;
Example:
A person with children seeking a housing accommodation cannot be denied the accommodation on the basis of an occupancy limit unless it is based upon a compelling and well established public purpose, such as a county building code established to promote public safety, and there are no other reasonable means to serve the same purpose with less discriminatory impact.
(4) Impose against a person because of familial status, by way of any action to evict, terminate the tenancy, or refuse to engage in a real estate transaction, occupancy limits on a housing accommodation which is currently occupied by such person, unless justified by business necessity by demonstrating that such limits are required by county building codes established to promote public safety, and if the person has asked the owner, person engaging in a real estate transaction, real estate broker, or salesperson to apply for a variance or exemption from the county, the application for variance or exemption has been denied;
Example:
A current tenant whose family size exceeds occupancy limits, which are required by a county building code established to promote public safety, may ask an owner, any person engaging in a real estate transaction, or real estate broker or salesperson to apply for a variance or exemption to the county building code prior to being evicted from the accommodation. The owner may apply for the variance or authorize the tenant to do so, in which case the owner shall reasonably assist the tenant and provide any necessary documents in the owner’s possession. If denied by the county agency, the occupancy limit can be used as the basis to evict. The tenant asking that the exemption be sought can be required to pay any filing fee and associated costs.
(5) Restrict or prohibit the use by children of common use or public use areas or recreational facilities, unless based upon business necessity;
(6) Designate separate areas for use by children so as to justify separate areas where children are excluded;
(7) Require the payment of a higher security deposit, surcharge, or additional fees because of familial status; or
(8) Require a person to sign a waiver of liability as a condition of occupancy by children.

[Eff 10/15/93] (Auth: HRS §§368-3; 515-9(7)) (Imp: HRS §515-3)
Source: Legislative text reproduced verbatim
Plain English

Hawaii Administrative Rules § 12-46-307 prohibits owners, real estate brokers, salespersons, and others involved in real estate transactions from treating people differently because they have children or are expecting children. The rule covers a wide range of conduct, including refusing to rent, imposing discriminatory house rules or occupancy limits, restricting children from common areas, charging higher deposits or fees, and requiring liability waivers as a condition of a child living in the unit. Occupancy limits may only be enforced against families with children when they are grounded in county building codes that promote public safety and no less discriminatory alternative exists, and even then a variance or exemption process may be required before eviction can proceed.

Written by anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.6 · Reviewed on October 23, 2026

Plain English — not legal advice.

For Property Managers

Under HAR § 12-46-307, operators of housing accommodations are generally expected to apply the same rules, fees, and occupancy standards to all applicants and tenants regardless of whether they have children. House rules that restrict bedroom occupancy or limit the use of common areas must be reviewed to ensure they do not produce an adverse impact on families with children unless a documented business necessity—such as a county building code safety requirement—supports them. When a current tenant's family size raises a code-based occupancy concern, compliant operators typically engage the variance or exemption process before pursuing eviction, and they reasonably assist the tenant with any required documentation.

General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.

For Tenants

HAR § 12-46-307 gives tenants and housing applicants with children the right to be free from a broad set of discriminatory practices, including being charged extra deposits, being excluded from recreational facilities, or being evicted solely because of family size without a proper business-necessity justification. If an occupancy-based eviction is threatened, the provision generally allows a tenant to request that the owner seek a variance or exemption from the county before any eviction can proceed. Tenants who believe this provision has been violated may consider filing a complaint with the Hawaii Civil Rights Commission or reaching out to a tenant-rights organization for information about available enforcement paths.

General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.

Generated October 23, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.

Effective Timeline

Current
Oct 23, 2026
Click on timeline segments to view historical versions.

References Out

Rules and statutes cited by this regulation

References In

Rules and statutes that cite this regulation

Haw. Admin. R. § 12-46-17
Haw. Admin. R. § 12-46-17
Haw. Admin. R. § 12-46-11
Haw. Admin. R. § 12-46-15
Haw. Admin. R. § 12-46-1
Haw. Admin. R. § 12-46-21
Haw. Admin. R. § 12-46-302
Haw. Admin. R. § 12-46-5

Related Rules

§ 100.301
§ 100.301 Exemption.
§ 100.304
§ 100.304 Housing for persons who are 55 years of age or older.
§ 100.307
§ 100.307 Verification of occupancy.

Source Information

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