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.
Urban Honolulu, HI
ROH 15-14.5 drives Schedule XXII no-parking signs throughout Urban Honolulu, while ROH 15-13.5 sets how close to the curb vehicles must park.
Urban Honolulu, HI
LUO 21-6.60 requires EV-ready stalls in new multi-family (8+ stalls) and commercial (12+ stalls) parking across Urban Honolulu, with compact resizing allowed...
Urban Honolulu, HI
ROH 15-16.6 prohibits storage parking of commercial vehicles on Urban Honolulu streets without posted signs; LUO 21-6.20 sets the companion off-street parkin...
Urban Honolulu, HI
Urban Honolulu has no blanket overnight parking ban; ROH 15-14.6 enforces parking prohibited during certain hours only on sign-posted routes.
Urban Honolulu, HI
ROH 15-14.1 prohibits stopping, standing, or parking in front of any public or private driveway or within 4 feet of either side across dense Urban Honolulu n...
Urban Honolulu, HI
Urban Honolulu property owners obtain fence and wall permits from the Honolulu Department of Planning and Permitting under ROH 18-3.1, which exempts retainin...
Side-by-side rule comparisons with other cities in Honolulu County.
See how Urban Honolulu's plastic bag rules rules stack up against other locations.
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