Hawaii stands out as one of the few states in the country where dog breeding is largely unregulated at the state level. If you breed dogs on the islands — whether as a hobby or a larger-scale operation — the rules governing your activity are a patchwork of county ordinances, general animal welfare statutes, and federal law. That picture may soon change.
In 2025, the Hawaii Legislature advanced Senate Bill 593, a measure that would establish the state’s first commercial dog breeder definitions, care standards, and penalties. Understanding where the law stands today — and where it is headed — is essential if you plan to breed dogs in Hawaii. This guide walks through every layer of the regulatory framework so you know exactly what applies to you.
Important Note: As of June 2026, Hawaii SB 593 had not yet been signed into law and its final enactment status should be verified with the Hawaii State Legislature before making compliance decisions. The bill text and its proposed provisions are discussed throughout this article for planning purposes.
Who Is Considered a Commercial Dog Breeder in Hawaii
Hawaii currently has no enacted statewide definition of a “commercial dog breeder.” Hawaii is among the states — along with Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Utah, Wyoming, and others — that do not have any enacted laws specifically addressing commercial pet breeders. That makes Hawaii an outlier in a national landscape where over 30 states have laws addressing commercial breeders, generally requiring a person who meets the definition to obtain a license, pay a fee, have facilities inspected, and maintain minimum standards of care.
The proposed definition under Hawaii Senate Bill 593 would change that. Under SB 593, a “dog breeder” means any person who owns, possesses, controls, or otherwise has charge or custody of more than ten dogs over the age of twelve months with intact sexual organs, and who sells, barters, or otherwise transfers more than three litters or more than twenty-five dogs per calendar year.
All three criteria — owning more than ten intact dogs over twelve months of age, AND selling more than three litters, AND transferring more than twenty-five dogs per calendar year — must be met for the bill to apply to you. The American Kennel Club successfully requested an amendment to clarify this “AND” structure, as the original bill used “OR,” which would have captured far more breeders.
The bill’s definition of “person” does not include an animal control or welfare agency tax-exempt under 26 U.S.C. § 501(c)(3), or a person who provides care for dogs at the request of a government agency. Hobby breeders who produce one or two litters a year and do not maintain large numbers of intact dogs would not meet the threshold under the proposed definition.
Pro Tip: Even if you fall below the proposed commercial breeder threshold, Hawaii’s general animal cruelty statutes and county dog licensing requirements still apply to every dog you own. Make sure each dog is licensed with your county regardless of your breeding volume.
At the county level, Hawaii distinguishes between private or hobby kennels and commercial operations. The state and its counties draw a meaningful distinction between a private residence that happens to house several dogs and a commercial operation that boards, breeds, or trains animals for compensation. You should also be aware that under Hawaii law, the animal hoarding statute applies when a person possesses more than fifteen dogs, cats, or a combination of dogs and cats. If you house animals near that threshold outside a licensed kennel structure, you could face scrutiny under that provision.
For a broader look at how Hawaii regulates animal-keeping operations, the kennel zoning laws in Hawaii page covers how county zoning codes classify commercial versus private animal facilities.
Do You Need a License to Breed Dogs in Hawaii
Breeders and all animal-related businesses are completely unregulated in Hawaii, which makes the state an outlier nationwide. Most states have some kind of regulation of the animal industry — Hawaii does not, outside of agriculture. As of the publication of this article, there is no statewide breeder license that you are required to obtain before breeding dogs in Hawaii.
That said, operating without any permits at all is rarely the full picture. Operating a kennel in Hawaii typically involves multiple overlapping permits: a zoning approval, a county business license, and in some cases a state-level registration. The exact combination depends on your county and your operation type. If you sell dogs as a business, you likely need a general excise tax license from the Hawaii Department of Taxation regardless of whether a specific breeder license exists.
SB 593 proposed to address this gap directly. With animal shelters in Hawaii constantly overcapacity, Senate Bill 593 aims to control dog overpopulation. The bill allows for each county to assess its individual situation regarding licensing and enforcement, meaning that even if the state law passes, your county could layer on additional licensing requirements.
If you are also bringing dogs into the state from the mainland or internationally, separate rules apply. The pet import laws in Hawaii page details Hawaii’s strict quarantine and entry requirements, which affect breeders importing breeding stock.
How to Get a Dog Breeder License in Hawaii
Because Hawaii has not enacted a statewide commercial dog breeder licensing law as of June 2026, there is no formal application process for a state-issued breeder license. If SB 593 is enacted, the licensing structure it establishes would be administered at the county level rather than through a single state agency.
SB 593 authorizes each county to assess, implement, and enforce its own licensing system. That means the process for obtaining a breeder license — including the application form, fees, and renewal schedule — would vary depending on whether you operate in Honolulu, Maui, Hawaii County, or Kauai. You would need to contact your county’s animal control or licensing division directly once the law takes effect.
In the meantime, here are the steps you should take regardless of whether a formal breeder license is required in your county:
- Register your business with the Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs if you sell dogs commercially, and obtain a general excise tax license from the Hawaii Department of Taxation.
- License every dog you own with your county. Under HRS § 143-2, it is unlawful for any person to own or harbor a dog unless the dog is licensed, though this law does not apply to dogs under the age of three months that do not run at large.
- Microchip all dogs. HRS § 143-2 requires dogs over the age of three months to be implanted with a microchip and licensed.
- Check zoning with your county planning department to confirm that a breeding operation is a permitted use on your property.
- Determine USDA obligations — if you sell dogs wholesale or across state lines, you may need a federal Animal Welfare Act license (covered in a later section).
To see how neighboring states structure their licensing processes, you can compare approaches in the dog breeding laws in California and dog breeding laws in Washington guides.
Facility, Care, and Housing Standards for Breeders in Hawaii
Hawaii has no enacted statewide care standards specific to dog breeders. However, SB 593 lays out detailed minimum standards that would apply if the bill becomes law. The legislature found that a law is needed to ensure that dogs at large-scale breeding facilities receive sanitary living conditions, proper and timely medical care, the ability to move freely at least once per day, and adequate shelter from the elements.
Under the proposed bill, “regular exercise” carries a specific meaning. Regular exercise means providing the dog with constant and unfettered access to an outdoor or indoor exercise area that provides at least four times the square footage of indoor floor space required for each dog. This is a more demanding standard than what many other states require, where scheduled outdoor exercise periods are often sufficient.
The bill also sets strict rules on enclosure groupings. No dog breeder may place a dog with a vicious or aggressive disposition in an enclosure with another dog except for breeding purposes; breeding females in heat in the same enclosure with sexually mature males except for breeding purposes; breeding females and their litters with other adult dogs; or puppies aged twelve weeks or younger with other adult dogs, other than the dam or foster dam, unless under immediate and constant supervision.
These proposed standards align with the broader framework that most state care laws address: adequate food and water, regular exercise, veterinary care, natural or artificial light during daylight hours, adequate space in living quarters, protection from the elements and extreme temperatures, and adequate resting time between breeding cycles.
Even without a state law mandating these standards today, Hawaii’s general animal cruelty statutes apply to all dog owners. Hawaii Revised Statutes address kennels in the context of animal welfare, specifically making it unlawful to confine any pet animal in a kennel or cage in a cruel or inhumane manner under HRS § 711-1109.
There is also a statewide ownership cap proposed in SB 593. Despite objections from the AKC, the bill still contains an ownership limit of 30 intact dogs over one year of age. Exceeding that limit under the proposed law would be a separate violation from any care standard breach.
Key Insight: Even if you operate below the commercial breeder threshold, Hawaii’s animal hoarding statute creates a practical ceiling. Plan your facility capacity with both the proposed 30-dog intact-dog limit and the existing 15-animal hoarding threshold in mind.
Inspections and Recordkeeping Requirements in Hawaii
Hawaii currently has no state-mandated inspection regime for dog breeders. If SB 593 is enacted, inspection authority would rest with each county rather than a central state agency. The bill specifies that nothing in its provisions would prevent a local governing body from adopting and enforcing its own animal welfare laws and regulations in addition to the state provisions. Counties could therefore implement inspection schedules more rigorous than any baseline the state sets.
Recordkeeping is one area where SB 593 is explicit. Records must be retained for at least three years following the death of the dog or the date on which the dog breeder permanently ceased to have possession or control of the dog. The bill also requires breeders to maintain specific written records for each dog, though the exact data fields — such as veterinary care history, breeding dates, and transfer information — are detailed in the full bill text.
For comparison, here is how proposed Hawaii recordkeeping requirements stack up against requirements in other states:
| State | Recordkeeping Requirement | Retention Period |
|---|---|---|
| Hawaii (proposed SB 593) | Written records for each dog | 3 years after death or transfer |
| California | Records for each dog including vet care | Varies by provision |
| Minnesota | Individual animal records required | Set by state agency |
| New York | Detailed records per dog | Set by state agency |
You can review how other states handle these requirements in the dog breeding laws in Minnesota and dog breeding laws in New York guides.
At the county level, commercial kennels — facilities that board, breed, train, or groom animals for a fee — often require a separate business license in addition to any zoning approval. County inspectors may visit your property as part of the business license process or in response to a complaint, even without a dedicated breeder inspection program in place.
Federal Breeder Requirements That Apply in Hawaii
Even without a state breeder license requirement, federal law may apply to your operation. The United States signed the Animal Welfare Act into law on August 24, 1966. This federal law regulates the treatment of animals in research, teaching, testing, exhibition, transport, and by dealers. USDA APHIS Animal Care enforces the Act.
Not all dog breeders are required to have a license or registration under the Animal Welfare Act. The key trigger is whether you sell dogs at wholesale or to brokers, dealers, or pet stores — rather than selling directly to the retail public. Any person breeding pets for the wholesale trade must be licensed under the AWA.
Covered entities include individuals and businesses such as research facilities, animal exhibitors, dealers, transporters, and certain breeders. APHIS enforces the law primarily through a licensing and registration system and requires entities that buy, sell, transport, or exhibit animals to obtain and maintain a valid license or registration.
These licenses and registrations are contingent on compliance with AWA standards for animal care, housing, feeding, sanitation, and veterinary treatment. The requirements of the Animal Welfare Act are set forth in Title 9 Code of Federal Regulations, Chapter 1, Subchapter A — Animal Welfare, Parts 1, 2, and 3 (2025).
Hawaii’s legislature acknowledged the federal gap directly. Existing state and federal laws regarding the care and husbandry of dogs inadequately regulate large-scale breeding facilities in Hawaii, which is one of the stated reasons for proposing SB 593.
Pro Tip: Use the APHIS Animal Welfare Resources page and the APHIS Licensing and Registration Assistant tool to determine whether your specific operation triggers a federal license requirement before assuming you are exempt.
A recent USDA Office of Inspector General report found significant gaps in APHIS’s enforcement of animal welfare standards for dog breeders, including failures to consistently document violations and impose meaningful penalties. This means federal oversight alone is not a reliable safety net — state and county rules matter, and Hawaii breeders should not assume that operating below the federal threshold means operating without scrutiny.
If you are moving dogs between islands or importing breeding stock from the mainland, Hawaii’s strict quarantine rules add another federal-adjacent layer. The pet import laws in Hawaii page covers those requirements in detail.
Penalties for Violating Dog Breeding Laws in Hawaii
Because Hawaii has no enacted commercial breeder law as of June 2026, there are currently no breeder-specific civil or criminal penalties at the state level. Violations of general animal cruelty laws, however, carry real consequences. In the State of Hawaii, a misdemeanor under the animal cruelty provisions is punishable by up to one year of imprisonment and/or a maximum $2,000 fine.
Under the proposed SB 593, the penalty structure would become more direct. Any person who violates the care standards, recordkeeping requirements, or enclosure prohibitions under the bill would be guilty of a misdemeanor. The measure would also authorize counties to implement their own licensing systems and would establish civil and criminal penalties for violations.
At the county level, dog licensing violations already carry fines. Failure to license your dog in Maui County could result in a fine of up to $500. Breeders who keep multiple unlicensed intact dogs face compounding exposure — each unlicensed dog is a separate potential violation.
For context on how other states penalize breeder violations, the table below summarizes enforcement approaches:
| State | Penalty Type | Maximum Penalty |
|---|---|---|
| Hawaii (proposed SB 593) | Misdemeanor criminal | Up to 1 year / $2,000 fine |
| New Jersey | Civil and criminal | Varies by violation |
| Texas | Civil fines + license revocation | Varies by tier |
| Wisconsin | Civil fines + license revocation | Varies by violation |
Federal penalties under the Animal Welfare Act are separate and potentially more severe. If you are the owner or person in charge of a regulated business, the law requires you to be licensed or registered with USDA. Failure to become licensed or registered is a violation of the Animal Welfare Act and can result in fines, cease-and-desist orders, and license revocation.
Breeders in other states face similar enforcement frameworks. You can review how penalties are structured in the dog breeding laws in New Jersey, dog breeding laws in Texas, and dog breeding laws in Wisconsin guides for comparison.
Hawaii’s animal laws extend well beyond dog breeding. If you work with other animals on the islands, the goat ownership laws in Hawaii, beekeeping laws in Hawaii, and leash laws in Hawaii pages cover related regulations you may need to know. For those interested in how Hawaii handles other animal-related matters, the rooster laws in Hawaii and backyard chicken laws in Hawaii guides are also useful references.
The bottom line for Hawaii dog breeders is this: the state’s regulatory gap is narrowing. Senate Bill 593 signals a clear legislative intent to bring Hawaii in line with the majority of states that regulate commercial breeding. Whether you breed one litter a year or operate a larger kennel, staying current with both county-level rules and the progress of state legislation is the most important step you can take right now.