2026-09-10 · Hawaii · Compliance · Reported — unconfirmed

Three years after the August 2023 Lahaina fire, condominium owners whose buildings burned are still assembling the money to replace them, and at one 189-unit association the insurance is reported to cover roughly twenty per cent of the need.¹

The reported numbers

At Aina Nalu — 189 units in two hotel-zoned buildings — the rebuild is estimated at over $200 million against insurance covering about a fifth of it. The association’s president described being in discussions to improve coverage when the fire came, and summarised it as timing: they were mid-conversation when the loss arrived.

At Spinnaker, a long-term resident community, the picture is better — the association was more fully insured and plans to rebuild on the same footprint with modern upgrades — but design work is still under way, the final gap is not fixed, and permitting delays are producing friction among owners.

No government assistance programme is available to condominium owners in this position. The separate $4 billion global wildfire settlement is expected to add funds, with first payments reported around July–August 2026 and a multi-year distribution ahead.²

The distinction this makes visible

Hawaii requires an association to carry property insurance under HRS § 514B-143. Compliance with that section is not a statement about whether the proceeds will rebuild the building. Those are two different questions, and only the first one is a legal duty.

1. Hawaii News Now, “3 years after Lahaina fire, condo owners search for money to rebuild,” August 5, 2026 ↩
2. Hawaii News Now, “Maui wildfire victims face yearslong wait for payouts after $4 billion settlement finalized,” April 14, 2026 ↩
3. HRS § 514B-47, Removal from provisions of this chapter ↩