Kauai County, HI Parking Rules: Overnight Parking (2026)
Key Facts
- Restricted hours
- 8:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. daily
- Covers
- Public highways and public places countywide
- Private property
- Requires written owner/occupant authorization
- Exceptions
- Parks/camps, emergencies, fishing
- Penalty statute
- HRS § 291C-161
Summary
Kaua'i County Code § 16-12.3 bars using any vehicle, including a camper or trailer coach, as a place to sleep or live on a public highway or public place between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m., and on private property without the owner's written permission for both the parking and the habitation.
(a) No person shall use any vehicle, including a house car, a camper or trailer coach, for purpose of human habitation, whether or not the vehicle is designed or equipped for that purpose, while the vehicle is parked on any public highway as defined in Section 264-1, H.R.S., or other public places in the County of Kaua'i between the hours of 8:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. daily or while the vehicle is parked on private property without written authorization of the property owner or occupant authorizing both the parking of the vehicle there and its use for purposes of human habitation. ... (c) This Section does not apply to the parking of vehicles and their use for purposes of human habitation in parks, camps and other designated County recreational areas in compliance with law and applicable rules, under emergency conditions in the interest of vehicular safety, and for persons parked for purposes of fishing. (d) Any person who violates this Section shall be subject to the penalties provided in Section 291C-161, H.R.S.
Full Breakdown
Section 16-12.3(a) targets 'purposes of human habitation,' living, sleeping or abode use, in any vehicle parked on a public highway (as defined in HRS § 264-1) or other public place countywide between 8:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. daily, and extends the same ban to private property unless the property owner or occupant has given written authorization covering both the parking and the habitation use. Subsection (b) defines the vehicle types covered: a 'camper' is a structure mounted on a vehicle for habitation or camping, a 'house car' is a vehicle designed, altered or fitted with a camper for habitation, and a 'trailer coach' is a towed structure built for human habitation or occupancy.
Subsection (c) carves out three exceptions: vehicles used for habitation in parks, camps and other designated County recreational areas under applicable rules, use under emergency conditions in the interest of vehicular safety, and vehicles parked by people there for purposes of fishing. Subsection (d) sets the penalty by cross-reference to HRS § 291C-161 rather than a County-set fine.
Violations & Fines
A person cited under § 16-12.3 is subject to the penalties set in HRS § 291C-161 rather than the County's general $100 default, since the Section names its own penalty statute. The restriction runs on a fixed daily clock, 8:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m., so a vehicle can be used for habitation on the same spot outside those hours without triggering the ban, but returning to it nightly during the restricted hours is a fresh violation each night.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I sleep in my car overnight on Kaua'i?
Are there exceptions to Kaua'i's overnight vehicle habitation ban?
What vehicles does the Kaua'i overnight parking rule cover?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Kauai County
How Kauai County compares: Cities with the Strictest Overnight Parking Rules·Compare Kauai County to another location·View the Hawaii parking rules overview
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