Hawaii County, HI Public Conduct: Skateboarding Rules (2026)

Hawai'i County bans roller skates and skateboards in county parks and recreation areas by default. HCC §15-31 states flatly that skating and skateboard use is "prohibited except in locations designated by the director by the posting of appropriate signs," so a park is skate-legal only where the Department of Parks and Recreation has actually posted a sign opening it up, such as a dedicated skate park or a marked multi-use path. Absent that signage, riding a board or skates anywhere in a county park, on a paved walkway, in a parking lot, around a pavilion, breaks the rule regardless of speed or care.

The same posting-based system covers other park restrictions in the same chapter: swimming areas, flotation-device use, and surfing are all opened or closed the same way, by signage under §15-32. The parks director can also grant a temporary or limited exception to any Chapter 15 provision, including §15-31, when it serves the public interest, under §15-2(d), so an organized skateboarding event or lesson could get individual sign-off even outside a marked skate area. Skateboarding that also endangers bystanders can additionally be charged as disorderly conduct under §15-9 if it is done to cause public alarm or recklessly creates that risk.