Hawaii Revised Statutes

Haw. Rev. Stat. § 266-25 (2026)

  Violation of rules; penalty

✓ current as of July 2026
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     §266-25  Violation of rules; penalty.  (a)  In addition to the reimbursement of fines and costs as provided in section 266-28, any person who violates any rule made, adopted, and published by the department of transportation as herein provided, or who violates any lawful command of any harbor master, harbor agent, facility security officer, or harbor district manager, while in the discharge of the person's duty, or who violates this chapter, except as provided in subsections (b) and (c), shall be fined not more than $1,000 or less than $50 for each violation, and any vessel, the agents, owner, or crew of which violate the rules of the department or this part, shall be fined not more than $1,000 or less than $50 for each violation; provided that in addition to or as a condition to the suspension of the fines and penalties, a court, the department, or an administrative hearings officer may deprive the offender of the privilege of entering the secured area of the port or obtaining an operating or mooring permit for any vessel in state waters for a period of not more [than] one year; provided further that the offender, at the resumption of the privilege of operating or mooring a vessel in state waters, shall assume the last position on any waiting list.

     (b)  Any person who violates any rule adopted by the department of transportation under this part regulating vehicular parking or traffic movement shall have committed a traffic infraction as set forth in chapter 291D, the adjudication of which shall be subject to the provisions contained therein.  A person found to have committed such a traffic infraction shall be fined not more than:

     (1)  $100 for a first violation;

     (2)  $200 for a second violation; and

     (3)  $500 for a third or subsequent violation.

     (c)  Any person who violates any rule adopted by the department of transportation relating to unauthorized discharge, dumping, or abandoning any petroleum product, hazardous material, or sewage in any state harbor facility or state waters in violation of the state water quality standards established by the department of health, shall be fined not more than $10,000 for each day of violation, and any vessel, the agents, owner, or crew of which violate the rules of the department of transportation or this chapter, shall be fined not more than $10,000 for each day of violation; provided that in addition to or as a condition to the suspension of the fines and penalties, the court, department, or administrative [hearings] officer may deprive the offender of the privilege of entering the secured area of the port or obtaining an operating or mooring permit for any vessel in state waters for a period of not more than one year; provided further that the offender, at the resumption of the privilege of operating or mooring a vessel in state waters, shall assume the last position on any waiting list. [L 1911, c 163, §9; RL 1925, §844; RL 1935, §1744; RL 1945, §4995; RL 1955, §112-23; am L Sp 1959 2d, c 1, §26; HRS §266-25; am L 1984, c 187, §2; am L 1987, c 361, §2; am L 2007, c 139, §3; am L 2012, c 313, §3]

 

Case Notes

 

  Penalties authorized in this section are criminal penalties, making defendant potentially eligible for a jury trial.  84 H. 65, 929 P.2d 78 (1996).

  Where no term of imprisonment was authorized under this section for violation of administrative rule regulating boat moorings, violation a presumptively petty offense for which constitutional right to jury trial did not attach; consideration of other relevant factors failed to overcome presumption.  84 H. 65, 929 P.2d 78 (1996).

  Cited:  49 H. 651, 657, 426 P.2d 626 (1967).

 

 

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 4 cases, 1993–2007 · leading case: State v. Ford, 929 P.2d 78 (Haw. 1996).
State v. Ford, 929 P.2d 78 (Haw. 1996). · cites it 33× “Specifically, HRS § 266-25, the penalty provision for all Department of Transportation harbor rules, provides in pertinent part: Violation of rules; penalty.”
State v. Simeona, 864 P.2d 1109 (Haw. App. 1993). · cites it 10× “” If it was not a criminal prosecution, Simeona was not entitled to a trial by jury.”
Paul v. Dep't of Transp., State, 168 P.3d 546 (Haw. 2007). · cites it 2× “The ICA implicitly recognized that HRS § 266-25 characterized any failure to comply with DOT harbor regu *430 lations as a “violation,” 12 which, as defined in HRS § 701-107(5) (1985), was non-criminal in nature.”
State v. Basabe, 97 P.3d 418 (Haw. App. 2004). · cites it 2× “The maximum penalty of $10,000 authorized under HRS § 266-25[ (1993) ], particularly when considering that the statute authorizes no term of imprisonment, does not tend to move a violation of Rule 19-62-17 from the realm of a petty into that of a serious offense. Ford, 84…”
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