Sign Regulations in Honolulu County, HI (2026)
4 rules for unincorporated Honolulu County, Hawaii.
Verified from official government sources
Political Signs
Honolulu exempts political campaign signs from the Land Use Ordinance's sign-permit system entirely: ROH § 21-7.60(b)(10) says no permit is required and district sign regulations don't apply to them, unlike nearly every other sign category in Chapter 21's Article 7.
Honolulu Political Campaign Signs Need No Permit
Few RestrictionsRevised Ordinances of Honolulu § 21-7.60(b)(10)
(a) It is unlawful for any person to install, construct, erect, alter, relocate, reconstruct, or cause to be installed, constructed, erected, altered, relocated, or reconstructed within the city any sign or signs without first having obtained a permit in writing from the director and making payment of the fees required by this section. (b) No permit shall be required nor shall district sign...
Garage Sale Signs
Oahu law treats any garage-sale sign posted in a street right-of-way, on a medial strip, or on a public mall as an unlawful sign subject to immediate removal by the city.
Honolulu Bans Signs in Street Rights-of-Way
Significant RestrictionsRevised Ordinances of Honolulu § 13-14.3(a)
No person shall erect, establish, construct, maintain, keep, or operate a sign, including but not limited to a portable sign, on, above or below: (1) Any street right-of-way, including any sidewalk area or medial strip; or (2) Any public mall; except as may be permitted under §§ 21-7.10 to 21-7.80-1, or other applicable law. Any sign in violation of this subsection shall be considered an unlawf...
Digital Billboards
Honolulu's sign code classifies any electronic programmable message sign, digital display, plasma or LED sign, or video/holographic sign as a "flashing sign," and ROH § 21-7.30(e) makes it unlawful to erect or maintain a flashing sign anywhere on Oahu, effectively banning digital and animated billboards outright under the Land Use Ordinance.
Honolulu Bans Digital & Flashing Billboards
Heavy RestrictionsROH §§ 21-7.20 (Flashing Sign), 21-7.30(e)
Flashing Sign. A sign designed to attract attention by the inclusion of a flashing, changing, revolving, or flickering light source or a change of light intensity; and, also includes any sign involving electronically generated or controlled images, such as an electronic programmable message sign, digital sign, plasma or LED sign, or video or holographic display. [...] § 21-7.30 Prohibited signs...
Window Signs
Honolulu doesn't count a store's window display as a regulated "sign" at all, so it skips the Land Use Ordinance's permit and sign-area limits, but ROH § 21-7.20 still confines any lettering, insignia, or merchandise announcement in a window to the inside of the glass surface and to a building's first floor.
Honolulu Window Display Sign Rules
Light RestrictionsROH § 21-7.20
Sign. Any structure, billboard, marquee, awning, canopy, street clock, announcement, declaration, demonstration, display, flag, pennant, banner, balloon, illustration, or insignia used to advertise, attract, or promote the interests of any person when it is placed on any property, building, or structure in view of the general public; provided that window displays or merchandise displays shall n...
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