Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam

Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, on Oahu, joins the Navy’s Pearl Harbor and the Air Force’s Hickam Field. According to the MilitaryINSTALLATIONS page for JBPHH, Pearl Harbor provides berthing and shore support to surface ships and submarines, can accommodate the largest ships in the fleet including dry dock services, and is home to over 160 commands, while Hickam Field is the headquarters of Pacific Air Forces. The quarantine and school rules below apply equally to families at Schofield Barracks, Fort Shafter and Coast Guard Base Honolulu.

Cost of living

The MilitaryINSTALLATIONS overview of JBPHH puts Honolulu’s cost of living, as listed in October 2026, at 80% to 95% above the national average, with housing 200% to 300% higher, utilities 148% higher and groceries 50% to 70% higher. Your Temporary Lodging Allowance and Cost of Living Allowance start the day you check in to your command, per the JBPHH check-in page, so ask your sponsor where to get your orders stamped. If you arrive after 4 p.m. and cannot reach your duty section, report to the Transit Personnel Unit in Building 1753 (24/7: 808-253-9282).

Housing: privatized throughout Oahu

“Throughout Oahu, what was military or government housing is now privatized housing”, the JBPHH government housing page says. All active-duty members assigned to Oahu and Kauai are eligible to apply for Navy Public/Private Venture housing; the Navy Housing Service Center at the Navy Aloha Center refers applicants to the Navy’s partner, Hunt Companies Inc. (808-474-1820). The same page encourages Navy members to complete a Housing Application, DD Form 1746, before they arrive and lets them schedule a Navy Housing Service Center appointment up to 30 days in advance. The JBPHH housing page adds that you must report to the Navy HSC within 72 hours of arrival to be eligible for arrival Temporary Lodging Allowance, even if you have already bought a home, found a place to rent or plan to live with family or friends. The Navy inventory is 4,435 homes; the page says to expect a wait, especially for a particular neighborhood, and that many military families find it necessary to live in the local community on initial arrival. If you are enrolled in the Exceptional Family Member Program, tell the housing officials, because your assignment may be handled with priority. On the Air Force side, Hickam’s 2,484 family housing units are all privatized and managed by Hickam Communities (leasing office 808-423-7788), and the Military Housing Office handles TLA, housing referrals and off-base issues for Air Force members (808-312-0199), the housing page says. Request drayage only after you have in-processed with the Military Housing Office.

For temporary lodging, Navy Gateway Inns and Suites takes individual reservations through the DoD Reservation Center, 1-800-858-2128, per the JBPHH temporary housing page.

Bringing a dog or cat to Hawaii

“Hawai’i is rabies-free”, and every dog and cat, “regardless of age (puppies and kittens included) or purpose”, must meet the state’s import requirements, according to the Hawaii Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity’s Animal Quarantine Information Page. Under Chapter 4-29 of the Hawaii Administrative Rules:

• Dogs and cats that meet specific pre- and post-arrival requirements may qualify for the 5 Day Or Less program, which allows direct release at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu after inspection.
• For direct release, the minimum waiting period before arriving in Hawaii is 30 days after a successful FAVN rabies antibody test and 30 days after the most recent rabies vaccination.
• Dogs and cats that do not meet all of the 5 Day Or Less requirements are quarantined for up to 120 days on arrival.
• Because of the time needed to prepare, a newborn puppy or kitten will be about 6 months old by the time it can meet the 5 Day Or Less requirements.
• Non-domestic dogs and cats and hybrids, such as wolf crosses, Bengals and Savannahs, are prohibited under plant quarantine law.

Since New World Screwworm was detected in the United States in June 2026, the department adds, any animal needing a certificate of veterinary inspection for import into Hawaii must carry a statement that it was inspected and found free of screwworm infestation. Applications can be filed online through the Hawaii Pet Owner Portal. The page lists a direct airport release fee in Honolulu of $185, or $244 when your documents are not received by the Animal Quarantine Station 10 days or more before arrival. Animal Quarantine Station: 808-483-7151; the page says email is the best way to reach it.

Medical care: no emergency room at the clinics

“There is no emergency room at the 15th Medical Group”, the JBPHH health care page says; in an emergency, dial 911 or go to the nearest emergency room, which the page names as Tripler Army Medical Center, “the only military treatment facility on Oahu that has an emergency room.” On the Navy side, Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command Pearl Harbor, formerly Naval Health Clinic Hawaii, Makalapa: 808-473-2444.

Schools: Hawaii’s statewide public system

“There are no DoD schools in Hawaii”, the JBPHH education page says; Hawaii is the only state whose public education is administered statewide, through the Hawaii Department of Education. JBPHH and most Navy and Air Force housing are in the Central Oahu district. To start kindergarten in a Hawaii public school, a child must turn five on or before July 31 of that year, per the JBPHH child care page.

The Navy Child and Youth Program runs eight Child Development Centers and two School Age Care locations on Oahu, plus a 24/7 group child care home for families with nontraditional schedules, and Family Child Care homes in JBPHH housing areas, the same child care page says.

Vehicles

Hawaii law requires liability insurance and a valid driver’s license, and all personal vehicles must be safety inspected and registered within ten days after arrival on island, per the JBPHH motor vehicles page. You need proof of Hawaii insurance to get the inspection, and the inspection sticker and certificate to drive and to register.

Legal assistance

Region Legal Service Office Western Pacific Detachment Hawaii, Building 1746 on Pearl Harbor, serves active-duty and reserve Navy and Marine Corps members, with walk-in notaries and special powers of attorney on Mondays from 9 to 11 a.m., per the JBPHH legal assistance page.

Start early on three things

Start your pet’s 5 Day Or Less preparation months ahead, contact the School Liaison about your Hawaii DOE school before choosing housing, and complete your housing application before you arrive; if you are Navy, report to the Navy Housing Service Center within 72 hours of arrival to stay eligible for arrival Temporary Lodging Allowance. Know that Tripler has the only military emergency room on Oahu.