HRS §291L-8
Rental car owner's liability for citations
Read the official text at capitol.hawaii.gov ↗This section says the registered owner who rents out a car is responsible for any traffic citation issued under this chapter. The owner can still try to get the renter to pay them back, but the owner is the one who must handle the citation.
businesses
The statute, as written — Liability for rental or U-drive motor vehicle
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.
Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, any registered owner of record who is the lessor of a rental or U-drive motor vehicle, including those defined in section 286-2, shall be liable for any summons or citation issued pursuant to this chapter. The registered owner shall not be precluded from pursuing reimbursement from any applicable renter or lessee.
Sections this one refers to
§286-2 Definitions for Hawaii's vehicle and traffic laws
LawTrove is not legal advice. The summary above is a computer-generated restatement — the authoritative text is the official version linked above.