Do you really have to pay a parking ticket in Hawaii?

MAY 6, 20268 MIN
'The Other Side of Paradise' with Lynn Kawano

Do you really have to pay a parking ticket in Hawaii?

MAY 6, 20268 MIN

Description

<p>Hawaii is owed nearly $15.3 million from unpaid parking tickets since Act 59 passed in 2020. The law change gives the state only one option to punish those who don't pay, and even that has limitations.</p> <p>"I just throw it in a drawer or put it in my glove compartment and then forget about it," said a Honolulu woman with a handful of outstanding tickets.</p> <p>HNN Investigates discovered just how many ignore the citations: 215,208 tickets went unpaid between 2020 and 2025. The top five have hundreds on record.</p> <p>Learn more about the lost revenue from unpaid citations and a possible solution in this episode of "The Other Side of Paradise."</p> <h1>Related stories</h1> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2026/03/26/hawaii-owed-15-million-unpaid-parking-tickets-state-has-few-options-collect/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hawaii owed $15 million from unpaid parking tickets; state has few options to collect</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2026/04/14/lawmaker-targets-parking-ticket-loophole-after-hnn-investigates-found-millions-unpaid/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Lawmaker targets parking ticket loophole after HNN Investigates found millions unpaid</a></li> </ul>