Hawaii parking laws start with the Hawaii Revised Statutes and are filled in by county ordinances, so the rules that apply to your car depend on both where you are in the islands and what the sign at the curb says. Fines run from about $35 for a meter overage to $500 for misusing an accessible space, and violations on state highways carry an added $200 surcharge.1FindLaw. Hawaii Revised Statutes 291C-111 – Stopping, Standing, and Parking Miss a payment deadline or leave a car in the wrong place long enough and towing follows.
Where You Cannot Park
Parking rules on state and county highways have to be posted with signs or curb markings before they can be enforced.1FindLaw. Hawaii Revised Statutes 291C-111 – Stopping, Standing, and Parking A handful of spots are off-limits even without a sign. In Honolulu you cannot park within 10 feet of a fire hydrant, within 20 feet of an intersection, on a sidewalk, or in front of a private driveway. Other counties enforce similar buffers with their own numbers, so read local signage when in doubt.
Commercial loading zones have their own layer of rules. Freight curb zones are typically reserved during weekday business hours, and loading or unloading is usually capped at 30 minutes. Passenger loading zones run on tighter windows. Double-parking to load is never legal in any Hawaii county, no matter how quick the stop.
Metered Parking
Meters are a county matter, and Honolulu operates the largest network. Rates are tiered to demand, so high-traffic blocks cost more than side streets a short walk away. Smart meters accepting cards and mobile payments have replaced most coin-only units, and remote monitoring means enforcement is tighter than it used to be.
The most expensive myth is that meters take Sundays and state holidays off. On many Honolulu streets, meters run daily from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., and payment is required on state holidays.2Honolulu.gov. Parking Meter Payment Requirements on Listed Streets Other streets follow different schedules. Read the meter face rather than assuming a blanket rule, because an expired meter is one of the most common citations in the city.
Accessible Parking
Accessible spaces are reserved for vehicles displaying a valid disability parking permit, and Hawaii’s penalties for misuse are the steepest in the parking code. Permits come as a temporary red placard, a long-term blue placard, a green Disability Paid Parking Exemption Permit (DPPEP), or special license plates issued through the Disability and Communication Access Board within the Department of Health.3Hawaii Department of Health. Person With a Disability Parking Permit Application Instruction Sheet (Form PA-3) Permits issued by other states and countries are valid in Hawaii, but regular parking fees still apply.4Department of Health. Disability Parking Permits
Parking in an accessible space without a valid displayed permit, using someone else’s permit, or blocking an access aisle draws a fine between $250 and $500. A permit holder who simply forgot to display a current permit faces a reduced fine of $25 to $100. Manufacturing, altering, selling, or fraudulently using a disability placard is a misdemeanor and carries criminal penalties on top of any fine.5Hawaii Department of Health. DCAB HRS Sections – Hawaii Revised Statutes 291-52.7
Electric Vehicle Charging Spaces
Any public parking facility with at least 100 spaces must include at least one space equipped with an EV charging system, and those spaces cannot substitute for accessible stalls required under the ADA.6Justia Law. Hawaii Revised Statutes 291-71 – Designation of Parking Spaces for Electric Vehicle Charging Systems Operators with multiple lots can concentrate their charging infrastructure across the portfolio, provided the total meets the statutory minimum.
Parking a non-electric vehicle in an EV charging space, or leaving any vehicle in a charging space without actively charging, is a traffic infraction carrying a $50 to $100 fine.7Justia Law. Hawaii Revised Statutes 291-72 – Parking Spaces Reserved for Electric Vehicles and Electric Vehicle Charging Systems; Penalties “Actively charging” is the key phrase. A fully charged EV parked in the stall can still be cited.
Motorcycles and Mopeds
Where a block has marked motorcycle and moped stalls, two-wheelers must use those stalls and cannot occupy a standard vehicle space on that block. Where no designated stalls exist, multiple motorcycles or mopeds can share a single parallel parking space, but each must park diagonally at about 60 degrees to the curb with the front end toward the street, and a three-foot clearance has to be kept at each end of the space.8Hawaii Department of Transportation. Information for Moped Owners and Drivers
Mopeds also cannot be driven or parked on sidewalks or pedestrian paths. Enforcement is active in tourist-heavy areas like Waikiki, where sidewalk parking near shops and hotels is a routine citation.8Hawaii Department of Transportation. Information for Moped Owners and Drivers
Residential Parking Permits in Honolulu
Honolulu runs a Restricted Parking Zone program for neighborhoods overwhelmed by commuter or tourist parking. Residents apply through the Department of Transportation Services and must show proof of residency plus a vehicle registration address that matches the dwelling unit. Outstanding parking citations have to be cleared before an application is approved.9City and County of Honolulu. Ordinance Bill 20 (2023), CD2 – Relating to Parking
The annual residential permit costs $125 for the first vehicle, with the fee doubling for a second, tripling for a third, and quadrupling for a fourth. A dwelling unit is capped at two annual permits, though residents can request a waiver for up to two more.9City and County of Honolulu. Ordinance Bill 20 (2023), CD2 – Relating to Parking The Director of Transportation Services can adjust fees by up to 10 percent each year after a public hearing.
Visitor Permits
Residents in an RPZ can pull single-day visitor permits at $10 each, with a monthly cap of 10 per dwelling unit. An annual visitor permit is available at the same $125 base rate as a residential permit, but each dwelling unit may hold only one, and it counts against the two-permit-per-unit cap.9City and County of Honolulu. Ordinance Bill 20 (2023), CD2 – Relating to Parking
Fines, Towing, and the Boot Ban
Fine schedules are set by county ordinance. In Honolulu, lower-level violations like meter overages or parking in a signed no-parking zone run about $35 to $50. Accessible-space violations top out at $500. Any citation issued on a state highway also carries a $200 surcharge, half of which is disbursed to the local police department.1FindLaw. Hawaii Revised Statutes 291C-111 – Stopping, Standing, and Parking Payment is due within 21 days.10Hawaii State Judiciary. Pay Traffic Fines Online Miss the deadline and late fees attach, and unpaid citations can block vehicle registration renewal or a residential permit application.
Vehicles that block traffic, sit in tow-away zones, obstruct fire lanes, or interfere with construction can be removed by law enforcement or an authorized tow operator. Recovering the car means proof of ownership, towing charges, daily storage fees, and any outstanding parking fines. Hawaii requires tow operators to post their maximum charges, but the actual rates are set locally and vary by county.
One thing that cannot happen: no one in Hawaii can put a boot on your car. Wheel clamping was banned statewide in 2013, and the prohibition covers private businesses and government agencies alike. If a car is booted in Hawaii, the act itself is illegal regardless of how the vehicle was parked.
Contesting a Citation
You have 21 days from the date of the citation to either pay it or contest it. Contesting means submitting a written statement or requesting an in-person hearing, delivered or mailed to the court within that window.11Hawaii State Judiciary. Moving or Equipment Violations If you ask for a hearing, the court will notify you or the registered owner of the date, time, and location in writing.
At the hearing a judge reviews the officer’s notes and hears your explanation before deciding whether the infraction occurred. You can also admit the infraction and offer mitigating circumstances, such as a medical emergency, to argue for a reduced penalty.11Hawaii State Judiciary. Moving or Equipment Violations Evidence carries the day. Photographs of missing or obscured signage, medical records supporting an emergency, or a citation with the wrong date, location, or plate number all give a judge something concrete to work with. Without it, the officer’s account usually stands.