Certificates of inspection
HRS §286-26
in effect286-26. Certificates of inspection
(a) The following vehicles shall be certified as provided in subsection (e) once every year:
(1) Trucks, truck-tractors, semitrailers, and pole
trailers having a gross vehicle weight rating of more than 10,000 pounds;
(2) Buses;
(3) Rental or U-drive motor vehicles two years of age
or older;
(4) Taxicabs; and
(5) Mopeds.
Ambulances shall be certified as provided in
subsection (e) once every six months.
(b) All other vehicles, including motorcycles,
mopeds, trailers, semitrailers, and pole trailers having a gross vehicle weight
rating of 10,000 pounds or less, and antique motor vehicles as defined in
section 249-1, except those in subsections (c) and (d), shall be certified as
provided in subsection (e) every twelve months; provided that any vehicle to
which this subsection applies, except a moped, shall not require inspection
within two years of the date on which the vehicle was first sold.
(c) Any vehicle or moped that has been
involved in an accident shall be certified as provided in subsection (e) before
it is operated again if:
(1) It is determined by a police officer or an
insurer that the vehicle's or moped's equipment has been damaged so as to
render the vehicle or moped unsafe; or
(2) It is rebuilt or restored.
(d) Every vehicle or moped shall be certified
prior to the issuance of a temporary or permanent registration by the director
of finance and prior to the transfer of any registration; provided that this
requirement shall not apply to a subsequent transfer of registration in a
vehicle or moped that carries a current certificate of inspection.
(e) [Subsection effective until June 30,
2025. For subsection effective July 1, 2025, see below.] Upon application
for a certificate of inspection to be issued for a vehicle or moped, an
inspection as prescribed by the director under subsection (g) shall be
conducted on the vehicle or moped, and if the vehicle or moped is found to be
in a safe operating condition, including adhering to head lamp requirements and
specifications pursuant to section 291-25(a), as applicable, a certificate of
inspection shall be issued upon payment of a fee to be determined by the
director. The certificate shall state the effective date, the termination
date, the name of the issuing insurance carrier, and the policy number of the
motor vehicle insurance identification card for the inspected motor vehicle as
specified by section 431:10C-107 or state the information contained in the
proof of insurance card as specified by section 431:10G-106. A sticker,
authorized by the director, shall be affixed to the vehicle or moped at the
time a certificate of inspection is issued. An inspection sticker which has
been lost, stolen, or destroyed shall be replaced without reinspection by the
inspection station that issued the original inspection sticker upon
presentation of the current certificate of inspection; provided that the
current certificate of inspection and inspection sticker shall not have expired
at the time the replacement is requested. The director shall adopt rules to
determine the fee for replacement of lost, stolen, or destroyed inspection
stickers.
(e) [Subsection
effective July 1, 2025. For subsection effective until June 30, 2025, see
above.] Upon application for a certificate of
inspection to be issued for a vehicle or moped, an inspection as prescribed by
the director under subsection (g) shall be conducted on the vehicle or moped,
and if the vehicle or moped is found to be in a safe operating condition, including
adhering to head lamp requirements and specifications pursuant to section
291-25(a), as applicable, a certificate of inspection
shall be issued upon payment of a fee to be determined by the director. The
certificate shall state the effective date, the termination date, the name of
the issuing insurance carrier, the policy number of the motor vehicle insurance
identification card for the inspected motor vehicle as specified by section
431:10C-107 or state the information contained in the proof of insurance card
as specified by section 431:10G-106, and the odometer reading of the vehicle on
the date of inspection. A sticker, authorized by the director, shall be
affixed to the vehicle or moped at the time a certificate of inspection is
issued. An inspection sticker that has been lost, stolen, or destroyed shall
be replaced without reinspection by the inspection station that issued the
original inspection sticker upon presentation of the current certificate of
inspection; provided that the current certificate of inspection and inspection
sticker shall not have expired at the time the replacement is requested. The
director shall adopt rules to determine the fee for replacement of lost,
stolen, or destroyed inspection stickers.
(f) The operator of an official inspection
station shall pay, from the fee in subsection (e), an amount to be determined
by rules adopted pursuant to chapter 91 to the director of transportation.
This amount shall be expended only for administration and enforcement of the
periodic motor vehicle inspection program. The funds collected pursuant to
this subsection shall be deposited into the highway special fund.
(g) The director of transportation shall adopt
necessary rules for the administration of inspections and the issuance of
certificates of inspection; provided that the rules shall include head lamp
requirements that adhere to the specifications pursuant to section 291-25(a),
as applicable.
(h) This section shall not apply to:
(1) Any motor vehicle that is covered by part XI,
governing safety of motor carrier vehicle operation and equipment; provided
that the rules adopted pursuant to part IA impose standards of inspection at
least as strict as those imposed under subsection (g) and that certification is
required at least as often as provided in subsections (a), (b), (c), and (d);
(2) Aircraft servicing vehicles that are being used
exclusively on lands set aside to the department of transportation for airport
purposes; and
(3) Tractor trucks, forklifts, and top picks being used
as marine terminal equipment temporarily moving in or between terminals at:
(A) Sand Island and along Sand Island Parkway
and Sand Island Access Road;
(B) Kalanianaole Avenue between Kuhio Street
and Kahanu Street, abutting Hilo Harbor;
(C) Kawaihae-Mahukona Road abutting Kawaihae
Harbor;
(D) East Kaahumanu Avenue between Hobron
Avenue and Kane Street, abutting Kahului Harbor; and
(E) Waipaa Road abutting Nawiliwili Harbor.
(i) As part of the inspection required by this
section, the owner of the vehicle to be inspected, except for mopeds, shall
produce and display the motor vehicle insurance identification card for the
inspected motor vehicle required by section 431:10C-107 or the proof of
insurance card required by section 431:10G-106. If no card is displayed,
then the sticker authorized by the director shall not be affixed to the vehicle
and the certificate of inspection shall not be issued.
[L 1967, c 214, pt of
§2; HRS §286-26; am L 1969, c 128, §1(3); am L 1970, c 73, §1(c); am L 1974, c
98, §2; am L Sp 1977 1st, c 20, §11; am L 1978, c 91, §9; am L 1982, c 13, §§1,
2; am L 1984, c 276, §4; am L 1986, c 33, §1 and c 239, §1; am L 1987, c 222,
§1; am L 1988, c 253, §1; am L 1989, c 326, §1; am L 1990, c 34, §14; am L
1992, c 170, §1 and c 242, §1; am L 1997, c 251, §§5, 6; am L 2002, c 138, §1;
am L 2016, c 200, §11; am L 2017, c 115, §1; am L 2019, c 220, §1; am L 2023, c
144, §1 and c 222, §4]
Source: Hawaii State Legislature (capitol.hawaii.gov), via Internet Archive capturesURL: http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/hrscurrent/Vol05_Ch0261-0319/HRS0286/HRS_0286-0026.htmFetched: 11/10/2026