TMK guide · Land rules
Sea level rise exposure area
Land that could flood with 3.2 feet of sea level rise, mapped by the State.
The sea level rise exposure area, often called the SLR-XA, is the land the State modeled as exposed to chronic flooding, wave inundation or erosion with 3.2 feet of sea level rise. It comes from the Hawaiʻi Sea Level Rise Vulnerability and Adaptation Report and is shown on the State Sea Level Rise Viewer.
It is a planning map for the future, not a present day flood zone. Some Counties use it in shoreline and building reviews. Kauaʻi has a Sea Level Rise Constraint District in its zoning code, which the sheet shows on its own card.
What the law says, and who keeps it
What the ParcelSheet card shows
Whether the lot touches the 3.2 foot exposure area or the 3.2 foot coastal flood layer, and roughly how much of it.
Who to ask
The County Planning Department. Some Counties now apply sea level rise in permits, and the rules differ by island.
See it on a real lot
Checked 2026-10-17. This page explains a term in plain words. It is not legal advice; the County or State office named above decides.
More land rules
- Special Management Area (SMA)
- State Land Use Districts
- FEMA flood zones and what X shaded means
- FIRM panels and LOMAs
- Tsunami evacuation and extreme tsunami zones
- Lava flow hazard zones 1 to 9
- CPR lots (condominium property regime)
- ʻOhana units and accessory dwelling units
- Shoreline setback
- Cesspool conversion (Act 125)
- Important Agricultural Lands (IAL)
- Conveyance tax
- Property tax classes by County
- TMK (Tax Map Key)