Hawaii County, HI Public Conduct: Aggressive Panhandling (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- HCC § 24-249
- Amended
- 2025, Ordinance 25-78
- First offense
- $250-$1,000 fine or 18-71 hrs service
- Repeat within 1 year
- $500-$1,000 fine or 36-71 hrs service
- Protected activity
- Sidewalks, non-blocking sign-holding
- Separate ban
- Soliciting to watch parked vehicles, § 24-249(d)
Summary
Hawaii County outlaws entering a roadway, obstructing traffic, or approaching moving vehicles to solicit money, business, employment, goods or services, or to offer them to a stopped car's occupant. A 2025 amendment set escalating fines from $250 up to $1,000 plus mandatory community service, while protecting sidewalk activity and sign-holding that doesn't block traffic.
Section 24-249. Certain acts by pedestrians prohibited. (a) No person may enter a roadway, obstruct traffic, or approach moving vehicles for the purpose of: (1) Receiving or soliciting employment, business, or any other good or service from the occupant of any vehicle, unless the vehicle is legally stopped; or (2) Delivering or offering any employment, business, or other good or service to the occupant of any vehicle, unless the vehicle is legally stopped... (c) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary, a person convicted of a violation of subsection (a) is subject to: (1) For any violation not within one year of a previous violation: (A) A fine not less than $250 and not more than $1,000; (B) Community service no less than eighteen hours nor more than seventy-one hours; or (C) Both. (2) For any violation within one year of a previous violation: (A) A fine not less than $500 and not more than $1,000; (B) Community service no less than thirty-six hours nor more than seventy-one hours; or (C) Both.
Full Breakdown
HCC § 24-249, amended in 2025 by Ordinance 25-78, targets the classic median-strip and off-ramp panhandling pattern directly. Subsection (a) bars any person from entering a roadway, obstructing traffic, or approaching moving vehicles to receive or solicit employment, business, or any good or service from a vehicle's occupant, or to deliver or offer the same, unless the vehicle is already legally stopped; an emergency-aid carve-out excludes help given during an accident. Subsection (b) protects lawful activity: using sidewalks or roadside areas not ordinarily used for vehicular traffic, and holding a sign or engaging in other protected speech from a spot that doesn't obstruct traffic, are both expressly not prohibited.
Subsection (d) separately bans standing on or near a street or highway to solicit watching or guarding a parked or soon-to-be-parked vehicle, a spot-specific rule aimed at unauthorized "valet" or car-watching solicitations. Penalties escalate under subsection (c): a first violation, if not within one year of a prior one, draws a fine of not less than $250 and not more than $1,000, community service of no less than 18 and no more than 71 hours, or both; a violation within one year of a prior one draws a fine of not less than $500 and not more than $1,000, community service of no less than 36 and no more than 71 hours, or both.
Because Hawaii County has no incorporated cities, this ordinance is the countywide law for Hilo, Kona, and every other Big Island community; there is no separate municipal panhandling code beneath it.
Violations & Fines
First offense (not within one year of a prior one): fine of $250 to $1,000, community service of 18 to 71 hours, or both. Repeat offense within one year: fine of $500 to $1,000, community service of 36 to 71 hours, or both, under HCC § 24-249(c).
Frequently Asked Questions
What counts as illegal roadway panhandling here?
Can I still hold a sign asking drivers for help?
What is the fine for a first violation?
Does the penalty increase for a second violation?
Is offering to watch someone's parked car covered too?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Hawaii County
Compare Hawaii County to another location·View the Hawaii public conduct overview
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