We Need your Help with Keeping Hawaii’s Scenery Clear of Illegal Signage and Visual Blight
The Outdoor Circle has worked for 112 years to protect, preserve and enhance Hawaii's natural beauty through programs, initiatives, and community engagement. Our first efforts were, in fact, being vocal proponents of reducing visual clutter in Hawaii through the removal of billboards. Throughout our history we have actively worked to shape Hawaii's signage laws, starting with the removal of billboards and restrictions on offsite outdoor advertising to reduce visual clutter. Any trip to the mainland or other nations immediately shows just how much a beautiful vista is marred by billboards and offsite advertising, and visitors often comment what a difference it makes in our unique and amazing scenery not marred by such things.
These signage laws regulate the placement, size, and design of signs in public areas, ensuring they do not impede traffic, obstruct views, or create visual clutter. When enforced, signage laws can improve the appearance of the community and make it a more welcoming and attractive place to live and work. However, not all businesses and individuals comply with these laws, leading to an abundance of signs that create a chaotic and unappealing atmosphere. Non-compliant signs can also pose hazards to pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists. If one business has a waving flag banner, it also creates a desire for others to have them as well and the problem gets worse.
You may have seen an increase in all manner of illegal signage, and you can help in letting the county agencies in charge of signage enforcement know where problems exist. Many times, businesses may be unaware of signage laws. Other times, they knowingly and willfully flaunt the laws. Our signage laws only work when companies follow the law, and when they don’t, be rightly called out to follow the law by officials charged with this duty.
You can help by becoming familiar with the local signage laws and look for items that are obviously in violation. Note the location, size, and content of the sign and take a picture as evidence and call and/or email them to the appropriate county agencies listed below. Sometimes these signs or banners are attached to fences on the roadway, so in those cases it may fall under each county in charge of this area or the State Department of Transportation. You can first try the numbers below and if they cannot help, ask for the number to call or be transferred to within the county. Alternatively, call the Mayor’s Office of each county for direct referral for non-business violations. When you call, feel free to mention you are a member of the Outdoor Circle, and ask them to follow up with you after they have notified the individual/business.
Signage laws may seem like a minor issue, but it can have a significant impact on the appearance and safety of our communities. Working together we can create a more beautiful, safe, and welcoming environment for everyone as members of The Outdoor Circle have done for 112 years. Mahalo for your help in keeping Hawaii free from visual pollution!
Some resources:
Outdoor Circle signage resources: www.outdoorcircle.org/signage.html
--this webpage has links to state and county laws, as well as an easy guide
to find some types of permitted and prohibited signage.
County Resources:
Oahu
Oahu Signage Enforcement Department of Planning and Permitting Code Enforcement
—email descriptions and addresses with photos if available:
[email protected]
808-768-8152
Oahu Mayor’s Office:
[email protected]
808-768-4141
Hawaii
Hawaii County Department Public Works Building Division:
https://www.hawaiicounty.gov/our-county/mayor/comments-and-concerns
add photos, descriptions and addresses with any comments:
[email protected]
808-961-8331
Hawaii County Mayor’s Office:
808-961-8211
Maui
Maui County Zoning Enforcement Division:
Submit information directly to: https://www.mauicounty.gov/2024/COM-Connect
and select “Zoning, SMA, and Shoreline Questions” to add photos, descriptions and addresses.
[email protected]
808-270-8244
Maui Mayor’s Office:
[email protected]
808-270-7855
Kauai
Kauai County Building Division Office of Code Enforcement:
Email photos, descriptions and addresses or call:
808-241-4858
[email protected]
Kauai Mayor’s Office:
[email protected]
808-241-4900
These signage laws regulate the placement, size, and design of signs in public areas, ensuring they do not impede traffic, obstruct views, or create visual clutter. When enforced, signage laws can improve the appearance of the community and make it a more welcoming and attractive place to live and work. However, not all businesses and individuals comply with these laws, leading to an abundance of signs that create a chaotic and unappealing atmosphere. Non-compliant signs can also pose hazards to pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists. If one business has a waving flag banner, it also creates a desire for others to have them as well and the problem gets worse.
You may have seen an increase in all manner of illegal signage, and you can help in letting the county agencies in charge of signage enforcement know where problems exist. Many times, businesses may be unaware of signage laws. Other times, they knowingly and willfully flaunt the laws. Our signage laws only work when companies follow the law, and when they don’t, be rightly called out to follow the law by officials charged with this duty.
You can help by becoming familiar with the local signage laws and look for items that are obviously in violation. Note the location, size, and content of the sign and take a picture as evidence and call and/or email them to the appropriate county agencies listed below. Sometimes these signs or banners are attached to fences on the roadway, so in those cases it may fall under each county in charge of this area or the State Department of Transportation. You can first try the numbers below and if they cannot help, ask for the number to call or be transferred to within the county. Alternatively, call the Mayor’s Office of each county for direct referral for non-business violations. When you call, feel free to mention you are a member of the Outdoor Circle, and ask them to follow up with you after they have notified the individual/business.
Signage laws may seem like a minor issue, but it can have a significant impact on the appearance and safety of our communities. Working together we can create a more beautiful, safe, and welcoming environment for everyone as members of The Outdoor Circle have done for 112 years. Mahalo for your help in keeping Hawaii free from visual pollution!
Some resources:
Outdoor Circle signage resources: www.outdoorcircle.org/signage.html
--this webpage has links to state and county laws, as well as an easy guide
to find some types of permitted and prohibited signage.
County Resources:
Oahu
Oahu Signage Enforcement Department of Planning and Permitting Code Enforcement
—email descriptions and addresses with photos if available:
[email protected]
808-768-8152
Oahu Mayor’s Office:
[email protected]
808-768-4141
Hawaii
Hawaii County Department Public Works Building Division:
https://www.hawaiicounty.gov/our-county/mayor/comments-and-concerns
add photos, descriptions and addresses with any comments:
[email protected]
808-961-8331
Hawaii County Mayor’s Office:
808-961-8211
Maui
Maui County Zoning Enforcement Division:
Submit information directly to: https://www.mauicounty.gov/2024/COM-Connect
and select “Zoning, SMA, and Shoreline Questions” to add photos, descriptions and addresses.
[email protected]
808-270-8244
Maui Mayor’s Office:
[email protected]
808-270-7855
Kauai
Kauai County Building Division Office of Code Enforcement:
Email photos, descriptions and addresses or call:
808-241-4858
[email protected]
Kauai Mayor’s Office:
[email protected]
808-241-4900
Campaign Signage Laws and Recommendations
What the law says:
• Hawai'i law prohibits the placement of political signs on any public property, including median strips, sidewalks, fences and rights of way. Officials will issue citations for and/or remove any signs posted on public property.
• There are no laws regulating the size or number of signs placed on private properties, which include businesses and residences. Signs are legal on private property year-round and for any duration of time.
What the Outdoor Circle recommends:
• Each sign displayed should be no larger than 4 feet by 2 feet, and the total area of all signs for each private property should not exceed 16 square feet.
• No campaign signs should be illuminated by any form of artificial lighting.
• No sign should be erected more than 45 days before the day of the election, and all signs should be removed by 10 days after the election.
More details on The Outdoor Circle's recommendations regarding Political Campaign Signage
• Hawai'i law prohibits the placement of political signs on any public property, including median strips, sidewalks, fences and rights of way. Officials will issue citations for and/or remove any signs posted on public property.
• There are no laws regulating the size or number of signs placed on private properties, which include businesses and residences. Signs are legal on private property year-round and for any duration of time.
What the Outdoor Circle recommends:
• Each sign displayed should be no larger than 4 feet by 2 feet, and the total area of all signs for each private property should not exceed 16 square feet.
• No campaign signs should be illuminated by any form of artificial lighting.
• No sign should be erected more than 45 days before the day of the election, and all signs should be removed by 10 days after the election.
More details on The Outdoor Circle's recommendations regarding Political Campaign Signage
Informational Brochure
A special thank you goes out to the LKOC branch for gathering the information for this document.
| sign_brochure_2017_pdf.pdf |
Honolulu Sign Code
| honolulusigncode.pdf |
State Signage Laws
| state_of_hawaii_signage_laws.pdf |
Additional Resources
1) "Compendium of a Decade's Worth of Research Studies on Distraction from Billboards" - Wachtel, J. (2020)
2) "Compendium of Recent Research Studies on Distraction from Commercial Electronic Variable Message Signs" - Wachtel, J. (2018).
3) "Billboards: The Case for Control" - Scenic America - McMahon, E. (2011).
2) "Compendium of Recent Research Studies on Distraction from Commercial Electronic Variable Message Signs" - Wachtel, J. (2018).
3) "Billboards: The Case for Control" - Scenic America - McMahon, E. (2011).