TMK guide · Land rules
Tsunami evacuation and extreme tsunami zones
The red zone leaves on most tsunami warnings; the yellow extreme zone only when the warning says extreme.
Tsunami evacuation zones are where people must leave when a tsunami warning is issued. In Hawaiʻi there are two. The red zone is the standard tsunami evacuation zone. The yellow zone, the extreme tsunami evacuation zone, was added for a rare, very large distant earthquake, and is evacuated only when officials call the warning extreme.
If a strong earthquake is felt near the coast, the advice is to go to high ground at once without waiting for a siren.
These are evacuation maps for safety. They are not flood insurance zones and do not by themselves set building rules.
What the law says, and who keeps it
What the ParcelSheet card shows
Whether the lot is in a mapped tsunami evacuation zone, from the State GIS copy of the County maps.
Who to ask
The County emergency management agency for the island, and the State Emergency Management Agency.
See it on a real lot
- TMK 4-4-2-016-063, Kapaʻa, Kauaʻi
- TMK 1-3-3-025-016, Pālolo, Oʻahu
- TMK 3-2-4-024-162, Hilo, Hawaiʻi Island
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
- Sea level rise exposure area
- 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)