HRS §290-42
What to do with license plates on abandoned cars
Read the official text at capitol.hawaii.gov ↗If you abandon a car or handle an abandoned car as junk, you must take off its license plates and send them to the county agency that handles abandoned vehicles. That agency must destroy the plates. Breaking this rule is a misdemeanor.
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The statute, as written — Disposition of license plates
A copy, taken August 20, 2026. The version published by the Legislature is the one that governs, and it may have changed since. Check it before relying on anything here.
Whoever shall abandon a vehicle, or having attained custody of an abandoned vehicle, disposes of, or conveys it as junk shall remove and transmit any license plates on such vehicle to the county agency charged with carrying out the functions and requirements of this chapter. The county agency receiving the license plates shall provide for the destruction of the plates. Violation of this section shall be a misdemeanor.
LawTrove is not legal advice. The summary above is a computer-generated restatement — the authoritative text is the official version linked above.