Hawaii License Plate Laws: Renewal, Fines, and Exemptions

Hawaii’s license plate laws require every registered vehicle to display two plates, one front and one rear, renew registration annually through the county where the vehicle is driven, and keep both plates clean, unobscured, and securely mounted. Violations range from flat late-renewal penalties of $16 a year for passenger vehicles up to $500 fines for fraudulent use of plates.

Two Plates, Mounted and Visible

One plate goes on the front of the vehicle and one on the rear. Both must be fastened securely at the manufacturer’s designated location or on the bumper, mounted so they cannot swing.¹ Both plates have to stay entirely unobscured and reasonably clean at all times. Tinted covers, frames that clip the edges of the numbers, or anything else blocking any portion of the plate violates the rule.

The rear plate also needs a white light that makes the registration number readable from at least 50 feet away.²

Annual Renewal Through Your County

Hawaii has no statewide DMV. Registration is handled by each of the four county governments: the City and County of Honolulu, and the Counties of Maui, Hawaii, and Kauai.³ Every vehicle must be registered and renewed annually in the county where it is driven.⁴

Renewal requires proof of Hawaii motor vehicle insurance, a current safety inspection certificate, and payment of the weight-based tax calculated by your county’s motor vehicle division.⁵ Counties mail renewal notices, but the responsibility to renew on time sits with the owner. Most counties also offer online renewal.

Because a current safety inspection is required for any registration transaction, schedule the inspection before your renewal deadline rather than after.

What Late Renewal Costs

Miss the deadline and a flat penalty kicks in immediately. For passenger vehicles, that is $16 per year, made up of an $8 county weight tax penalty and an $8 state weight tax penalty. Commercial vehicles pay $40 per year, split $20 county and $20 state.⁶

The deadline is the last working day of your registration’s expiration month. If that date falls on a weekend or holiday, the penalty does not apply until after the next business day.⁵ The dollar amounts look small, but driving on an expired registration also exposes you to a traffic stop.

Fines for Plate Misuse

Violations involving license plates fall under HRS 249-11, which covers fraudulent use of plates, tags, or emblems. The maximum fine is $500 per violation. Hawaii appellate courts have held that because the maximum penalty is a fine rather than jail time, these violations are traffic infractions rather than criminal offenses, despite the statute’s reference to “misdemeanors.”⁷

Unauthorized transfer of plates from one vehicle to another carries a separate fine of up to $50 per offense under HRS 249-7.¹ Don’t swap plates between vehicles, alter a plate’s appearance, or attach someone else’s registration sticker.

Buying a Vehicle: Temporary Plates and the 30-Day Window

When a new motor vehicle dealer sells a vehicle, the dealer detaches the permanent dealer plate and puts a single temporary plate on the rear, in the same position required for standard plates.¹⁸ Only one plate is issued at this stage, unlike the two-plate requirement for permanent registration.

The temporary plate is valid for 30 working days from the date the new owner takes possession, and the expiration date must be printed on the plate in numbers at least four inches tall.⁸ Working days means weekends and holidays don’t count against the clock. Within that window, you need insurance, an inspection, and completed paperwork before the county will issue two permanent plates and the registration tag.⁹ Once the permanent plates are attached, the temporary plate must be destroyed.

Plates do not follow the vehicle when it changes hands. A new owner registers the vehicle and receives new plates under HRS 249-7.5 and 249-8.

Special, Personalized, and Antique Plates

Hawaii offers special number plates under HRS 249-9.1. The fee is $60 on initial application and $60 at each annual renewal, on top of regular registration costs.¹⁰ Personalized plates displaying a custom letter-and-number combination carry the same $60 annual fee, and combinations must meet county guidelines for appropriateness and availability.¹¹

Veterans and military-connected residents can apply for designated plates under HRS 249-9.2, including plates for Purple Heart recipients, Pearl Harbor survivors, combat veterans, former prisoners of war, and Gold Star family members. Applicants must show proof of service and, in most cases, a discharge document showing honorable or general discharge.¹²

Antique Vehicles

Hawaii defines an “antique motor vehicle” as one that is 35 years or older from the date of manufacture, maintained in original or restored factory condition, and used primarily for historical exhibition or similar purposes. Motorcycles and low-horsepower motor scooters can qualify.⁹

Qualifying vehicles get a permanent “Horseless Carriage” plate for a one-time $10 fee. The plate stays valid as long as the vehicle exists, with no annual plate renewal, and runs in its own numerical series starting at Horseless Carriage No. 1.¹³ Other registration fees and taxes still apply.

Who’s Exempt

Motor vehicles owned or leased long-term by the state or any county are exempt from the county vehicular tax, and their plates are issued under county ordinance rather than the standard process. The same exemption covers vehicles owned or leased by police officers and used for official business.⁹

Under HRS 249-6, a disabled veteran whose passenger car was furnished by the federal government due to a service-connected disability is exempt from the county vehicular tax. The exemption is limited to one vehicle per veteran and does not cover vehicles used for commercial purposes.¹⁴

1
Justia. Hawaii Code 249-7 – Number Plates
2
FindLaw. Hawaii Code 291-31 – Tail Lamps and Illuminating Devices
3
Hawaii Department of Transportation. Motor Vehicle Registration
4
Hawaii County. Registration Renewal
5
City and County of Honolulu. Motor Vehicle Registration
6
City and County of Honolulu. Fee Table
7
Justia. Hawaii Code 249-11 – Fraudulent Use of Plates, Tags, or Emblems and Other Misdemeanors; Penalties
8
Justia. Hawaii Code 286-53 – Dealers in New Motor Vehicles
9
State of Hawaii Department of Taxation. Hawaii Code Chapter 249 – County Vehicular Taxes
10
Justia. Hawaii Code 249-9.1 – Special Number Plates
11
Department of Customer Services. Special Plates
12
Justia. Hawaii Code 249-9.2 – Special Number Plates; Military Service
13
Justia. Hawaii Code 249-9 – Number Plates; Purchase
14
Justia. Hawaii Code 249-6 – Exemptions for Certain Cars Furnished to Disabled Veterans