Honolulu County, HI Soliciting & Door-to-Door: Solicitor Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit required for solicitors
- None under Article 5
- Conduct standard
- Cannot impede public use
- Max penalty
- $100 fine or 30 days jail
- Separate peddler license fee
- $60/year
- School-zone peddling ban
- Does not apply to solicitors
Summary
Honolulu does not issue a dedicated "solicitor permit." ROH § 13-5.1 instead makes it unlawful for a solicitor or canvasser, anyone taking door-to-door orders for future delivery of goods or services, to impede or inconvenience the public while working a street, sidewalk, or mall, backed by a fine or jail time under § 13-5.2 rather than a licensing scheme.
(a) It is unlawful for any solicitor or canvasser to engage in business on any public street, sidewalk, or mall where such person's operation tends to, or does impede or inconvenience the public or any person in the lawful use of such street, sidewalk, or mall. (b) "Solicitor or canvasser," as used in this article, means any person, traveling by foot, or any other type of conveyance, or by wagon, automobile, motor truck, taking or attempting to take orders for the sale of goods, wares, merchandise, or other personal property for future delivery, or for services to be furnished or performed in the future, whether or not such person carries or exhibits any samples or collects advance payments on sales. ... § 13-5.2 Violation—Penalty. Any person violating this article shall upon conviction be punished by a fine not exceeding $100 or by imprisonment not exceeding 30 days, or by both.
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
Article 5 of Chapter 13 covers solicitors and canvassers in exactly two sections. 1(a) makes it unlawful for any solicitor or canvasser to engage in business on a public street, sidewalk, or mall where the operation tends to or does impede or inconvenience the public's lawful use of that space. Subsection (b) defines "solicitor or canvasser" broadly: any person traveling by foot, wagon, automobile, or motor truck who takes or attempts to take orders for the future delivery of goods, wares, merchandise, or other personal property, or for services to be furnished later, whether or not they carry samples or collect advance payments, and the definition also reaches anyone who rents or occupies a building, tent, room, shop, or vehicle for the sole purpose of exhibiting samples and taking future orders.
2 bars peddling outright in 13 specific areas, including the Pali Highway lookout, Diamond Head Road, the Waikiki Peninsula, the Fort Street and Chinatown malls, and city park and beach land. 1(b) are expressly carved out of at least one of those restrictions, the ban on peddling in school zones while school is in session, showing the code treats future-delivery solicitation and on-the-spot peddling as two separate regulatory tracks rather than one licensing system.
Violations & Fines
Violating the Article 5 conduct rule for solicitors and canvassers is punishable under ROH § 13-5.2 by a fine of not more than $100, imprisonment of not more than 30 days, or both, upon conviction. This penalty attaches to impeding or inconveniencing the public's use of a street, sidewalk, or mall, not to operating without a license, since Article 5 does not require solicitors to hold one.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to sell door-to-door in Honolulu?
What's the difference between a solicitor and a peddler in Honolulu?
Can solicitors work in school zones in Honolulu?
What's the penalty for violating Honolulu's solicitor rules?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Honolulu County
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