Hawaii County, HI Animal Ordinances: Mandatory Spay/Neuter (2026)
Key Facts
- Sterilized dog fee
- $2.00 biennial, § 4-4-1
- Unsterilized dog fee
- $6.00 biennial, § 4-4-1
- Proof required
- Vet certificate, § 4-4-2
- General mandate
- None; fee incentive only
- Court-ordered exception
- Dangerous-dog sentencing, § 4-4-35(b)(9)
Summary
Hawai'i County does not mandate spaying or neutering. HCC § 4-4-1 sets a biennial dog license fee of $2 for a sterilized dog versus $6 for an unsterilized dog, and § 4-4-2 requires a veterinarian's certificate to claim the lower rate. Cats carry no license or sterilization requirement at all.
Section 4-4-1. Fees. (a) The following fees are hereby established as biennial license fees for the privilege of owning, harboring or keeping of dogs in the County: (1) Sterilized dogs...$2.00 (2) Unsterilized dogs...$6.00 (b) For purpose of this section a sterilized dog means a spayed female dog and a neutered male dog. ... Section 4-4-2. Proof of sterilization. Any person seeking to have the person's dog licensed at the sterilized dog rate must present a certificate from a veterinarian licensed to practice within the State showing the description, age, and breed of the dog and certifying its sterilization.
Full Breakdown
The County's only sterilization-linked rule sits in the dog licensing chapter, not in a separate spay/neuter mandate. ' To pay the lower rate, § 4-4-2 requires the owner to 'present a certificate from a veterinarian licensed to practice within the State showing the description, age, and breed of the dog and certifying its sterilization'; without that certificate, the agency bills the unsterilized rate regardless of the dog's actual status. Nothing in Chapter 4 requires an owner to have a dog sterilized, and there is no equivalent provision for cats, which are not licensed at all.
' Outside that court-ordered scenario tied to a dangerous-dog conviction, sterilization in Hawai'i County remains the owner's financial choice, priced through the license-fee spread rather than commanded by ordinance.
Violations & Fines
There is no fine for failing to sterilize a dog. The only exposure is paying the higher $6 unsterilized license fee under § 4-4-1, or, separately, an unsterilized dog found at large without its tag is deemed unlicensed and impounded under § 4-4-21, with a $10 impoundment fee plus $5 per day held past 48 hours.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Hawai'i County require dogs to be spayed or neutered?
What proof do I need to get the lower license fee?
Are cats covered by any sterilization fee or rule?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Hawaii County
Compare Hawaii County to another location·View the Hawaii animal ordinances overview
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