Ask the Mayor: What’s the Legal Lift for a Truck or SUV?

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Mayor Alan Arakawa answers some of the questions submitted to his staff.

Submit your own questions about County of Maui programs, services, operations or policies to Mayor Alan Arakawa at [email protected], 270-7855 or mail them to 200 S. High St., 9th Floor, Wailuku, HI 96793.

Questions submitted will be considered for inclusion in the “Ask the Mayor” column.

Hi Mayor,

Q: What’s the legal lift you can do on a truck or SUV?

A: The short answer is three inches, but the vehicle must also comply with bumper height limits according to the corresponding weight class.

The more detailed answer is that according to Hawai‘i Revised Statutes (HRS) §291-35.1 “Regulation of bumper height,” the maximum distance between vehicle body to vehicle frame rail, shall not exceed three inches. The vehicle frame rail, measured from a level surface to the bottom of the vehicle frame rail, shall not exceed the attached bumper height. The distance between the vehicle body to vehicle frame rail shall be measured from the vehicle body mount seat to the vehicle frame rail mount seat. Any vehicle with bumpers or attaching components that have been modified or altered from the original manufacturer’s design must conform with the maximum bumper height requirements as specified. Maximum bumper heights of motor vehicles shall be determined by the weight category of gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) as measured from a level surface to the highest point on the bottom of the bumper. As a point of reference, the bumper height for passenger vehicles is 22 inches. For vehicles 4,500 pounds and under, the bumper height limit is 29 inches. For vehicles 4,501 to 7,500 pounds., the limit is 33 inches. For vehicles 7,501 lbs. to 10,000 pounds, the limit is 35 inches.