Maui County, HI Public Conduct: Loitering Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing law
- Maui County Code Chapter 9.20
- Applies to
- Children under 12
- Location
- Congested-district highway portions
- Parent/guardian fine
- Up to $50 (§ 9.20.030)
- Custody
- Child held until parent responds
Summary
Maui County makes it unlawful for a child under twelve to play or loiter on the traveled portion of a public highway in a "congested district," and lets a police or probation officer take the child into custody until a parent or guardian responds, under § 9.20.020 of the county code.
It is unlawful for any child under the age of twelve years to play or loiter upon that portion of the public highway used for vehicular traffic in any congested district in the county as defined in this chapter; and any child so found loitering or playing upon such portion of the highway may be taken into custody by any police officer or the probation officer for the county and detained until the parent, guardian or person having custody, control, or supervision of the child calls for the child.
Full Breakdown
20 of the Maui County Code, titled "Children on Highways," first defines the geography it covers. 010 limits the rule to "congested districts": portions of a public highway where the adjacent territory, for a distance of one hundred yards on either or both sides, contains buildings used for residence or business purposes within fifty feet of the highway and spaced closer than one hundred feet apart. 020 makes it unlawful for any child under twelve to play or loiter on the part of the highway used for vehicular traffic.
The same section gives enforcement teeth beyond a citation: a police officer or the county probation officer may take a loitering or playing child into custody and detain the child until a parent, guardian or other person with custody or control comes to collect them. The chapter does not fine the child. 030 places the financial penalty on the adult, punishing any parent, guardian or custodian who "knowingly" permits the child to play or loiter in the prohibited area with a fine "not exceeding fifty dollars" upon conviction. The chapter derives from Prior Code § 22-2 and has not been substantively renumbered since.
Violations & Fines
Children found loitering or playing on a congested-district highway may be taken into custody by a police or probation officer and held until a parent or guardian responds; the child is not fined. A parent, guardian or custodian who "knowingly" permits the child to loiter there faces a fine "not exceeding fifty dollars" under § 9.20.030.
Frequently Asked Questions
What counts as a "congested district" under Maui's child-loitering law?
Can police detain a child found loitering on a Maui highway?
Is the child fined for loitering on the highway in Maui County?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Maui County
Compare Maui County to another location·View the Hawaii public conduct overview
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