← Back to search

HCC §14-1

No drinking alcohol in certain public places

Read the official text at hawaiicounty.gov ↗

This law bans drinking, offering, or showing alcohol in public view in many specific public places, like roads, sidewalks, parking lots, school grounds, parks with playgrounds, and many named parks and beaches. It lists exact locations by district. The ban covers all alcohol, no matter the container.

everyone

The ordinance, as written (Hawaiʻi County) — Intoxicating liquors prohibited in certain public places

A copy, taken August 21, 2026. The version published by Hawaiʻi County is the one that governs, and it may have changed since. Check it before relying on anything here.

(a) No person shall drink, offer to drink, or display in public view in the following public areas or buildings located thereon, any intoxicating liquors, whether in a bottle, jug, container or otherwise: (1) Public highways and public rights-of-way, public sidewalks, public breakwaters and public seawalls, except seawalls in parks where drinking is not prohibited; (2) Public parking lots, which for the purposes of this section shall mean the entire area within any County-owned or operated off-street parking lot or facility, including but not limited to parking and loading stalls, designated parking areas within County parks, landscaping strips, stairwells and pedestrian passageways, internal roadways, and roadways for ingress to and egress from such parking lot or facility; (3) Public school grounds and buildings; (4) Public areas or buildings contiguous to all public school grounds and buildings, except as provided herein; (5) Public parks, except parks enumerated in section 14-2, on which children’s playground equipment, such as slides, jungle gyms, seesaws and swings are located; (6) That certain portion of parcel 24 consisting of some twenty-seven thousand ninety-nine square feet, more or less, being a portion of the property designated upon the tax maps of the Third Taxation Division as Tax Map Key No. (3)1-5-2-24, and located in Pāhoa, District of Puna, County and State of Hawai‘i; (7) South Hilo: (A) Ainaola Park; (B) Clem Akina Park; (C) Ahualani Park; (D) All public areas, except Coconut Island, located on the Waiākea Peninsula, makai of Kamehameha Avenue-Kalaniana‘ole Avenue from the Wailoa River estuary to the site of the former Reeds Bay Restaurant (TMK Nos. 2-1-06:11, 12, 19, and 20); (E) Drag Strip, Hilo; (F) Kalākaua Park; (G) Kaūmana Caves; (H) Keikiland; (I) Lanakila Center; (J) Lincoln Park; (K) Lōkahi Park; (L) Mo‘oheau Park; (M) Pana‘ewa Park; (N) Honoli‘i Beach Park; (O) Richardson Park and Center; (P) Skeet and Trap Range; (Q) Waiākea Recreation Center; (R) Waiākea-Waena Playground; (S) Waiolama Canal Archery/Jogging Area; (T) Zoo, Pana‘ewa Rainforest; (U) All cemeteries; (V) All swimming pools; (W) All tennis courts (except Edith Kanakaole); (X) Bakers Beach; (Y) Hualani Park; (Z) Mohouli Park; (AA) Wai‘olena and Wai‘uli Beach Parks, portion located between the pavilions and the west end of the seawall beginning at a point four- tenths of a mile west of Leleiwi Street and extending three hundred twelve feet in the westerly direction; (AB) James Kealoha Beach Park; (AC) Lehia Beach Park. (8) North/South Kona: (A) Kailua Playground; (B) Ku‘emanu Heiau; (C) Kailua Park, except as provided in section 14-2(a)(2)(F); (D) All swimming pools; (E) All tennis courts; (F) Higashihara Park; (G) Hillcrest Park; (H) Clarence Lum Won Park; (I) La‘aloa Bay Beach Park; (J) Hōnaunau Boat Ramp. (9) Ka‘ū: (A) Pāhala School Ground; (B) All swimming pools; (C) All tennis courts. (10) Puna: (A) Glenwood Park; (B) Kalapana Playground; (C) All swimming pools; (D) All tennis courts; (E) Kahakai Park. (11) North Hilo/Hāmākua: (A) Laupāhoehoe Playground; (B) All swimming pools; SUPP. 11 (1-2022) 14-2 GENERAL WELFARE § 14-1 (C) All tennis courts; (D) Waipi‘o Lookout. (12) North/South Kohala: (A) Church Row; (B) All swimming pools; (C) All tennis courts; (D) Waikoloa Highway Park; (E) Spencer Beach Park; (F) Kamakoa Nui Park; (G) Spencer Kalani Schutte District Park; (H) Laʻelaʻe Park. (1982, ord 810, sec 1; am 1983 CC, c 14, art 1, sec 14-1; am 1987, ord 87-70, sec 1; am 1990, ord 90-104, sec 1; am 1993, ord 93-7, sec 1; am 1996, ord 96-54, sec 1; am 2008, ord 08-7, sec 3; am 2010, ord 10-5, sec 1; am 2013, ord 13-77, sec 1; am 2017, ord 17-55, sec 1; am 2018, ord 18-61, sec 3; am 2019, ord 19-43, sec 3; am 2020, ord 20-59, sec 3; am 2021, ord 21-87, sec 1; am 2026, ord 26-40, sec 4.)14-1
Read the official text at hawaiicounty.gov ↗as published Jul 16, 2026our copy taken Aug 21, 2026

Published by the County of Hawaiʻi Office of the County Clerk.

LawTrove is not legal advice. The summary above is a computer-generated restatement — the authoritative text is the official version linked above.