Ask the Mayor: Shouldn’t Cars on Maui be Registered Here?

Hawaiʻi license plate. Rental cars that are initially registered on Maui are issued license plates with the letter “L” as the first character of the plate number. File photo Maui Now.

Mayor Alan Arakawa answers some of the most-asked questions submitted to his office staff.

Dear Mayor Arakawa,

Q: Just wondering about all the rental cars on Maui that are registered on O‘ahu, although they never go there. Couldn’t they be registered on Maui? After all, their wear and tear is affecting Maui’s infrastructure, not O‘ahu’s. Thank you.

A: Our DMVL administrator informed me that the cost of registering a vehicle on O‘ahu is more expensive than on Maui. Rental cars that are initially registered on Maui are issued license plates with the letter “L” as the first character of the plate number.

Section 249-2 of the Hawai‘i Revised Statutes require vehicle owners (including rental car agencies) to register their vehicles in the county in which the vehicle is located at the time of registration.

Want to Ask the Mayor?

Submit your questions about County of Maui programs, services, operations or policies to Mayor Alan Arakawa via email, by phone at 270-7855 or by mail to 200 S. High St., 9th Floor, Wailuku, HI 96793. Questions submitted will be considered for inclusion in the Ask the Mayor column.