05/03/24 City urging vehicle owners to renew their registrations on time

City urging vehicle owners to renew their registrations on time

HONOLULU - Owners of the nearly 900,000 registered vehicles in the City and County of Honolulu are being reminded to pay attention to when the tags expire on their cars and trucks.

The reminder is in direct response to the 40,457 vehicles with expired registrations on Oʻahu, where 73 percent of those vehicles with expired tags have not been registered in at least five years.

This is despite receiving from the city's Motor Vehicle Registration Branch renewal notices 45 days before their registration expires, and being offered four ways to renew a vehicle in the City and County of Honolulu.

"If your vehicle is not registered, it means you are driving illegally and could be penalized," said Kim Hashiro, director of the city's Department of Customer Services.

Late registrations carry a $16 penalty for passenger vehicles. The penalty is $40 for commercial vehicles. To avoid the hassle of being pulled over and dealing with a penalty, Oʻahu motorists are urged to check the annual due dates on their registered vehicles and renew them on time.

The fastest way to renew a vehicle registration remains the DMV Now self-service kiosks at select Safeway and Foodland stores. Registrations may also be renewed online, in person at a satellite city hall, or by mail. The online and mail-in options require up to 15 days to receive a card and emblem by mail.

A vehicle must have a current Hawaiʻi safety inspection before it can be registered.

To renew the registration of a vehicle that is more than a year overdue, taxes and fees for past years must be paid. Appeals of past taxes and fees must be done through the First Circuit District Court of Oʻahu.

For more information on motor vehicle registration services in the City and County of Honolulu, visit www.honolulu.gov/csd.

-PAU-