Big Island Lava Zones Explained

By Penn Henderson, R(S)

Lava Zones Map Lava Zones FAQ

Every property on this island sits in a lava zone. The number matters more than most buyers realize.

Lavaflow hazard zones are among the first things mainland buyers hear about the Big Island and among the least well explained. The zone a property sits in affects what you will pay for insurance, whether a lender will finance it, and who will want to buy it from you later. It is not a measure of whether your house will be covered in lava. It is a statistical hazard rating, and understanding what it does and does not tell you is worth an hour before you start looking at property.

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Walking near lava in Hawaii - Big Island Lava Zones
→ Exploring Kilauea in 2007 when the lava was slowly flowing into the ocean

What Are Lava Zones?

The United States Geological Survey divides the island into nine zones based on how frequently lava has covered each area historically and how the terrain is likely to direct future flows. Zone 1 carries the highest hazard; Zone 9 the lowest. The ratings come from geology, not from any prediction about a specific parcel, and they were established well before most of the current housing stock was built.

Two things the Big Island lava risk zones do not tell you. They do not tell you the likelihood that your particular lot will be affected in your lifetime, since the zones cover enormous areas and conditions vary within them. And they do not measure any other risk. A Zone 9 property can sit in a flood zone or a high wildfire area. Lava zone is one input among several. Below, you will find more questions and answers about lavaflow hazards.

Big Island Volcanoes
Big Island Lava Zones
Zone 2 Insurance Limit
Kailua-Kona Lava Zone

Get to Know

The Nine Lava Zones

Zone 1

Covers the summits and rift zones of Kilauea and Mauna Loa, where eruptions have occurred repeatedly throughout history. This is the highest hazard rating on the island and is most affected by active flows.

Zone 2

Covers land adjacent to and downslope of the active rift zones of Kilauea and Mauna Loa. Between roughly 15 and 25% of Zone 2 has been covered by lava since 1800, and hazard increases with proximity to Zone 1.

Zone 3

Less hazardous than Zone 2 due to greater distance from active vents or terrain that makes flows less likely to arrive. Roughly 1-5% has been covered since 1800. Includes Hilo, much of South Kona, and parts of the Kohala Coast.

Zone 4

Covers all of Hualalai volcano, which has erupted far less frequently than Kilauea or Mauna Loa but is not extinct. About 5% has been covered in the last 750 years. Kailua-Kona and North Kona sit here.

Zone 5

Covers areas on Kilauea that are currently shielded from lava flows by local topography. The surrounding terrain diverts flows away, though that protection depends on ground conditions that can change over time.

Zone 6

Covers areas on Mauna Kea with only a few eruptions in the last 10,000 years. The volcano is considered dormant rather than active, and the hazard here is substantially lower than anywhere on Kilauea or Mauna Loa.

Zone 7

Covers portions of Kohala, the island’s oldest volcano, which last erupted roughly 60,000 years ago. Approximately 20% of this area was covered by lava in the intervening period, well before recorded history.

Zone 8

Covers additional areas of Kohala where only a very small share of the land has been covered by lava in the last 10,000 years. Hazard here is minimal, and standard insurance and financing are readily available.

Zone 9

Covers the remainder of Kohala, where no lava has flowed in the last 60,000 years. This is the lowest hazard rating on the island and applies to the northern end above the Kohala Coast.

Visit USGS Website

Navigating Lava Zones

Buying Considerations

Where West Hawai‘i Falls

Kailua-Kona, Keauhou, Holualoa, Kalaoa, and the rest of North Kona sit in Zone 4, as does all of Hualalai, which includes the private club communities along that coast.

South Kona spans more than one zone. Kealakekua and the towns along the highway generally sit in Zone 3, while Zone 2 reaches into areas farther south and toward the Mauna Loa rift. This is the one part of West Hawaii where the zone genuinely varies property to property, and where checking it first is essential.

Kohala, at the island’s north end, has the lowest hazard ratings in Zones 7 through 9.

East Hawaii and Kau are a different picture. Puna and the Volcano area include Zone 1 and Zone 2 land, and the 2018 Kilauea eruption made that concrete for anyone who had treated the ratings as abstract. Hilo sits in Zone 3.

Big Island Lava Zone Map Penn Henderson
Buying a home in Hawaii Lava Zone 1 or 2

How Lava Zones Affect Insurance

This is where the rating becomes a practical matter rather than a geological one. Most national carriers decline to write standard homeowners policies in Zones 1 and 2. Owners in those areas typically turn to the Hawaii Property Insurance Association, a state-created entity that provides basic coverage where private insurers will not, generally at a higher cost and with narrower terms.

In Zones 3 and 4, standard coverage is normally available and priced conventionally. Most of West Hawaii falls here, which is why lava zone rarely becomes an obstacle in a Kona transaction and frequently does in a Puna one.

Get a quote early. If you are buying anywhere the zone is in question, an insurance quote belongs in the first week of escrow, not the last. It is the fastest way to find out whether a purchase actually works.

Visit HPIA Website

How Lava Zones Affect Financing

Lenders require proof of insurability before closing. If coverage is unavailable or prohibitively expensive, the loan will not be funded, regardless of how strong your file is. That is the mechanism by which lava zones stop transactions, and it catches buyers who assumed the issue was purely about risk tolerance.

Some lenders decline to lend on Zone 1 and Zone 2 properties outright, which is one reason cash purchases are common in those areas. A Hawaii-based lender will tell you where they stand before you write an offer. A mainland lender may not know the question exists until it derails the timeline.

Should You Avoid Zones 1 and 2?

This is where the rating becomes a practical matter rather than a geological one. Most national carriers decline to write standard homeowners policies in Zones 1 and 2. Owners in those areas typically turn to the Hawaii Property Insurance Association, a state-created entity that provides basic coverage where private insurers will not, generally at a higher cost and with narrower terms.

In Zones 3 and 4, standard coverage is normally available and priced conventionally. Most of West Hawaii falls here, which is why lava zone rarely becomes an obstacle in a Kona transaction and frequently does in a Puna one.

Get a quote early. If you are buying anywhere the zone is in question, an insurance quote belongs in the first week of escrow, not the last. It is the fastest way to find out whether a purchase actually works.

Active volcano on Big Island Hawaii with lava and smoke, scenic landscape, and dramatic sky.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions and Answers About Big Island Lava Zones

Zones 1 and 2 sit on and around the rift zones of Kilauea and Mauna Loa, on the southeast side of the island. Zone 1 covers the summits and rift zones themselves, primarily in Volcano and upper Puna. Zone 2 forms a band adjacent to those areas, running through much of lower Puna and parts of Ka’u.

These are the two highest-hazard designations on the county map, and they carry real consequences for insurance and financing. If you are looking at property in Puna, Volcano, or Ka’u, confirm the zone before anything else. Kailua-Kona, the Kohala Coast, and Waimea are not in zones 1 or 2.

Zone 3 is the next band out from the highest-hazard areas, covering parts of lower Puna and portions of Ka’u and Kona. It carries less risk than zones 1 and 2, and hazard within it is not uniform.

The practical distinction is insurance. Many carriers that will not write in zones 1 and 2 will write in zone 3, though terms vary by carrier and by parcel. Lenders generally treat zone 3 as financeable, where zones 1 and 2 often require alternatives. Verify with a specific carrier on a specific address rather than assuming.

Zone 4, along with Keauhou, Holualoa, Kalaoa, and essentially all of North Kona, since Zone 4 covers Hualalai in full. Insurance and financing generally proceed normally in Zone 4, which is why lava zone is rarely the issue in a Kona transaction, as it can be elsewhere on the island.

Activity changes, sometimes quickly, and any answer written on a webpage will be out of date at some point. The authoritative source is the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, which posts current status for Kilauea and Mauna Loa daily.

What matters for a buyer is less whether something is erupting today and more where the property sits on the hazard map. A parcel in Waimea or the Kohala Coast is unaffected by activity on the other side of the island. A parcel in lower Puna is a different conversation regardless of what is happening this week.

It is possible, and it is harder. Most standard carriers decline zones 1 and 2, which pushes buyers toward the Hawaii Property Insurance Association, the state-backed insurer of last resort, or toward surplus lines. Premiums are higher, and coverage terms differ from those of a standard policy.

This affects financing as well, since lenders require insurance and some will not lend where only limited coverage is available. If you are considering property in zone 2, get an insurance answer in writing before you are deep into escrow, not after. I can connect you with agents who regularly write in these zones.

Some will, some will not, and all of them require proof of insurability. That is why cash purchases are common in those areas. A Hawaii-based lender will answer this before you write an offer.

No. It is a statistical hazard rating across a large area based on historical flow frequency and terrain, not a forecast for a specific parcel. It matters mainly because insurers and lenders use it.

Yes, indirectly. A smaller pool of buyers can obtain financing and affordable insurance in Zones 1 and 2, which affects both price and days on market. That is reflected in what you pay going in, and it will be reflected again when you sell.

Send me the address. I confirm the zone, the insurance situation, and the financing implications on anything before we tour it, so you are never evaluating a property on incomplete information.

Let’s Talk

Ready to find your big island home?

Whether you are ready to buy now, planning a move a few years out, or just starting to learn the island, I would welcome a conversation. No pressure and no obligation.

When we talk, you can expect a focused conversation about what you are trying to accomplish, an honest read on the communities and price points that actually fit, a walkthrough of how the process works here, and straight answers to every question you ask.