Haw. Rev. Stat. » Haw. Rev. Stat. / Chapter 249
Hawaii Revised Statutes

Haw. Rev. Stat. § 249-11 (2026)

  Fraudulent use of plates, tags, or emblems and other misdemeanors; penalties

✓ current as of July 2026
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     §249-11  Fraudulent use of plates, tags, or emblems and other misdemeanors; penalties.  (a)  Any person who manufactures, sells, or distributes vehicle number plates, tags, or emblems of a design and size similar to the currently issued series of number plates, tags, or emblems authorized by the director of finance, or who attaches to and uses on any vehicle plates, tags, or emblems not furnished in accordance with sections 249-1 to 249-13 or 286-53, or who fraudulently uses such number plates, tags, or emblems upon any vehicle other than the one for which the number plates, tags, or emblems were issued, or who molests or disturbs any vehicle which has been seized pursuant to sections 249-1 to 249-13, or any person who knowingly uses a motor vehicle, the tax upon which is delinquent, upon public highways of this State, or any director of finance who issues a certificate of registration or number plates, tags, or emblems to any person who has not paid the tax required by sections 249-1 to 249-13, or any person who violates any of the provisions of such sections, shall be fined not more than $500.

     (b)  It shall be unlawful for any person to manufacture, sell, display, permit to be displayed, or possess any reproduction, imitation, or facsimile of a license plate with a similar design, shape, size, and color as the license plates contracted for the director of finance of the city and county of Honolulu pursuant to section 249-9. [RL 1935, pt of §2157; am L 1937, c 214, §1, subs 8; RL 1945, §5712; RL 1955, §130-11; HRS §249-11; am L 1980, c 133, §3; am L 1987, c 317, §1; am L 1994, c 72, §1; am L 2005, c 5, §1]

 

Case Notes

 

  As the penalty for violating this section is a fine of not more than $500, the offense under this section constitutes a traffic infraction and not a criminal offense; thus, part of judgment that found motorist "guilty" of fraudulent use of vehicle plates vacated and remanded for entry of a replacement judgment in favor of the State that complies with chapter 291D.  107 H. 519 (App.), 115 P.3d 698 (2005).

 

 

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 7 cases, 1980–2007 · leading case: State v. Ruggiero, 160 P.3d 703 (Haw. 2007).
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State v. Ruggiero, 160 P.3d 703 (Haw. 2007). · cites it 4× “Inasmuch as Ruggiero does not appeal his conviction of and sentence for driving without no-fault insurance, in violation of HRS § 431:10C-104(a) (Count II), driving a motor vehicle with delinquent tax, in violation of HRS § 249-11 (Count III), and failure to signal, in violation…”
State v. Fergerstrom, 101 P.3d 652 (Haw. App. 2004). · cites it 4× “filed on May 21, 2002 by the Plaintiff-Appellee State of Hawaii (the *45 State) charged that, on February 9, 2002, Fergerstrom violated the following laws: Count I: Driving Without a License, Hawaii Revised Statutes (HRS) § 286-102(a) (1993); 1 Count II: Operation of a Vehicle…”
State v. Temple, 650 P.2d 1358 (Haw. 1982). · cites it 2× “See HRS § 249-11.” Id. The information received in State v.”
State v. Shamp, 949 P.2d 171 (Haw. App. 1997). · cites it 4× “We affirm the court’s convictions of Defendant in regards to her violations of HRS § 286-25 (1993) and HRS § 249-11 (1993). As guidance to the prosecutor’s office and the district court, we also conclude that the district court erred by not following the procedures set forth in…”
State v. Kea, 606 P.2d 1329 (Haw. 1980). · cites it 2× “The informant’s descriptions of both the vehicle and its male occupant were verified by the police. Additionally, it was determined, before any stop was made, that the vehicle the defendant was driving bore two different license numbers, 2N1974 in.”
State v. Tarape, 115 P.3d 698 (Haw. App. 2005). · cites it 21× “1758621MH (Citation 1) for “False License Plate[,]” in violation of HRS § 249-11; (2) Complaint & Summons No.”
State v. Guernsey, 84 P.3d 524 (Haw. App. 2001). · cites it 2× “See HRS § 249-11 (Supp. 1999). In State v. Kuahuia, 62 Haw.”
Annotations are extracted automatically from the opinions in the Syfert caselaw corpus and ranked by authority, recency, and treatment. Dots show Syfertize treatment of the citing case itself.