Honolulu County, HI Sign Regulations: Garage Sale Signs (2026)
Key Facts
- Enforcing agency
- Dept. of Planning and Permitting
- Storage period
- At least 30 calendar days
- Reclaim fee
- $200 per sign
- Applies
- Island-wide, all street rights-of-way
Summary
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.
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 unlawful sign and shall be subject to summary removal under this section.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-10: Supplement 10, 12-2025 Ordinance No. 25-40 through Ordinance No. 25-56).
Full Breakdown
The Revised Ordinances of Honolulu do not carve out an exception for garage-sale or yard-sale signs. Because such signs are almost always staked in a road shoulder, median, or utility pole strip, they fall under the citywide ban on unpermitted signs in street rights-of-way and public malls. The Director of Planning and Permitting can summarily remove them island-wide, with police, facility maintenance, and transportation services assisting. Owners get 30 days to reclaim a sign before it is destroyed, sold, or disposed of.
Violations & Fines
Sign is summarily removed and stored; owner must pay a $200 removal, storage, and handling fee to reclaim it within 30 days or it is destroyed or sold.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I put a garage-sale sign on a street median in Honolulu?
How do I get a removed sign back?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Honolulu County
Compare Honolulu County to another location·View the Hawaii sign regulations overview
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