Maui Wedding Chairs on the Beach

For some time now the County of Maui has been laying down strict new guidelines about bringing chairs and wedding arches onto the beach. We've just learned from our Maui wedding professionals at the government committee that the County has now set heavy fines and penalties on any larger Maui wedding that has beach chairs or arches without a proper permit.

This is still a confusing issue with County versus DNL (the State) jurisdiction being a question. It all depends upon who you talk to as to what answers you will get. But one thing is clear, the permit for having chairs on the grass near a beach is set at $400. But if a Maui wedding company fails to get that permit, and the County authorities catch them on the beach, the fine has been quoted as anything from $1000 and up. That's just for a first violation. So this is a serious issue that we as wedding professionals simply cannot ignore.

The Maui wedding professionals meeting we went to was poorly attended. There are many people who coordinate weddings on Maui and it is likely that 90% of them are not aware of these regulations at this time. But as they say, ignorance is not a defense against legal penalties. We know personally of a coordinator that was approached by the County. And they are now actively policing the new regulations.

If you book your Maui wedding with a coordinator who does not get a permit, perhaps because she hasn't heard of these new regulations (or thinks that she won't get caught), you can bet that she will want to pass that $1000 fine back on you! If you have a larger Maui beach wedding in which you will need chairs for your guests, or if you want to have an arch, this means that you will have to get your coordinator to file the correct application, and you will have to pay $400 for the privilege of having chairs and/or an arch on a Maui beach or nearby grassy area.

Keep in mind, whenever we have to deal with the County, it takes them time to issue a permit; it won't happen at the last minute, so make sure that you do not wait until the last moment before booking a Maui wedding that requires chairs.

If the County gets complaints from beach goers who can't enjoy the beach because companies have taken large wedding groups to small beaches like Makena Cove, that will be a problem. Eventually, there will be a permit process for all weddings but at the moment we are encouraged to be unobtrusive with small weddings and only get permits for chair arches.