Hawaii has no statewide plastic bag preemption law, but all four counties have enacted bans on non-recyclable plastic checkout bags, making Hawaii the first U.S. state with a de facto statewide ban on single-use plastic bags.
Hawaii's legislature has not preempted county regulation of single-use plastics, allowing each county to adopt independent ordinances. Honolulu (ROH Chapter 9, Article 9), Maui County (Title 20.26), Hawaii County (HCC Chapter 14, Article 14), and Kauai County (KCC Chapter 8) all prohibit retailers from providing non-recyclable plastic checkout bags at point of sale. Most ordinances also restrict thin compostable bags and require minimum recycled content for paper bags. Fees on reusable or paper bags vary by county. The combined effect is that retailers across Hawaii must offer reusable, paper, or compliant compostable bags only. Statewide grocery and retail chains generally comply with the most restrictive county rule across all locations.
County ordinance violations typically carry $100 to $1,000 fines per offense, escalating with repeat offenses.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
East Honolulu, HI
HAR 11-46-6(b) requires on-site vehicles and construction equipment to operate with a functioning, unmodified muffler, and Revised Ordinances of Honolulu 41-...
East Honolulu, HI
East Honolulu pool owners in Hawaii Kai, Portlock, and Aina Haina must install code-compliant barriers under ROH Sec. 16-6.2, with public pools in the CDP su...
East Honolulu, HI
Backyard recreational and ceremonial fires in East Honolulu are open burning under the Honolulu Fire Code and require owner permission, a 14-day advance lett...
East Honolulu, HI
East Honolulu is part of the City and County of Honolulu, where a home occupation is a permitted accessory use that needs no separate City home-occupation pe...
East Honolulu, HI
Public parks in East Honolulu, including Koko Head and Hawaii Kai area beach parks, are closed during posted night hours. Entering closed parks is prohibited...
East Honolulu, HI
East Honolulu follows the Hawaii state juvenile curfew under HRS 577-16. Children under 16 cannot be in public places between 10 pm and 4 am without a parent...
Side-by-side rule comparisons with other cities in Honolulu County.
See how East Honolulu's plastic bag rules rules stack up against other locations.
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