Urban Honolulu's Parking Rules: The Rules That Matter

Every city handles parking rules a little differently. In Urban Honolulu, Hawaii, there are 7 distinct rules that residents and property owners should be aware of. Some are stricter than what neighboring cities enforce, and others are more relaxed. Here is what you need to know.

Driveway Rules

ROH 15-14.1 prohibits stopping, standing, or parking in front of any public or private driveway or within 4 feet of either side across dense Urban Honolulu neighborhoods.

Key details: Code section: ROH 15-14.1. Side buffer: 4 feet each side. Applies to: Public and private driveways. Signs required: No.

Parking tickets and vehicle removal; abutting property owners can request enforcement when driveways are blocked.

Abandoned Vehicles

ROH 15-13.8 defines abandoned vehicles as unattended over 24 hours on Urban Honolulu streets and lets the police chief or customer services director remove them.

Key details: Code section: ROH 15-13.8. Threshold: Over 24 hours. Enforcement: Police and DCS. State law: HRS 290-11.

Removal, impoundment, disposal fees, and potential citations under local and state law.

Street Parking Limits

ROH 15-14.5 drives Schedule XXII no-parking signs throughout Urban Honolulu, while ROH 15-13.5 sets how close to the curb vehicles must park.

Key details: Code section: ROH 15-14.5. Schedule: Schedule XXII. Curb rule: ROH 15-13.5. Coverage: Urban core streets.

Parking citations and potential towing where posted signs prohibit parking.

The rules around street parking limits in Urban Honolulu lean permissive, but that does not mean anything goes.

Overnight Parking

Urban Honolulu has no blanket overnight parking ban; ROH 15-14.6 enforces parking prohibited during certain hours only on sign-posted routes.

Key details: Code section: ROH 15-14.6. Blanket ban: None. Trigger: Posted signs. Storage rule: ROH 15-16.6.

Citations and towing during restricted hours on signed routes.

Urban Honolulu is more permissive than most cities when it comes to overnight parking. That said, there are still limits.

EV Charging

LUO 21-6.60 requires EV-ready stalls in new multi-family (8+ stalls) and commercial (12+ stalls) parking across Urban Honolulu, with compact resizing allowed for pre-Dec 2020 stalls.

Key details: Code section: LUO 21-6.60. Multi-family: 8+ stalls trigger. Commercial: 12+ stalls trigger. Resize allowed: Pre-Dec 2020 stalls.

Enforced through the zoning, permitting, and inspection process tied to project entitlements.

Urban Honolulu is more permissive than most cities when it comes to ev charging. That said, there are still limits.

Commercial Vehicle Restrictions

ROH 15-16.6 prohibits storage parking of commercial vehicles on Urban Honolulu streets without posted signs; LUO 21-6.20 sets the companion off-street parking rules.

Key details: Street rule: ROH 15-16.6. Off-street rule: LUO 21-6.20. Urban context: Downtown, Kakaako. Signs required: No.

Tickets, tows, impound fees; chronic offenders may also face abandonment-based enforcement.

RV & Boat Parking

In dense Urban Honolulu, including Waikiki and Ala Moana, ROH 15-16.6 bans storage parking of commercial vehicles, boat trailers, and RV trailers on public streets without posted signs.

Key details: Code section: ROH 15-16.6. Urban context: Waikiki, Ala Moana. Signs required: No. Abandonment: ROH 15-13.8.

Parking citations, tow, impoundment, and storage charges; persistent violations can trigger abandonment enforcement.

The Bottom Line

Compared to many U.S. cities, Urban Honolulu gives residents more room on parking rules. 3 of the 7 rules here are rated permissive. But permissive does not mean unregulated. There are still requirements, and the city does enforce them when violations are reported.

These rules come from Urban Honolulu's publicly available municipal code. For complete penalty schedules, exemption details, and answers to common questions, see the individual ordinance pages throughout this guide.