Hawaii dog laws: leash, licensing, bites and breed rules

Hawaii's state law on dogs is short. It requires licences and microchips, sets owner liability, and bans certain tethering methods, while counties handle leashes and most enforcement. This summary is general information about state law and is not legal advice. Reviewed November 2026.

Leashes and licensing

There is no statewide leash law. State law does say it is unlawful for the owner of a female dog, licensed or not, to let it run at large during the copulating season. Counties have their own ordinances on leashes and animal control.

State law makes it unlawful to own or harbor a dog unless it is licensed and has been implanted with a microchip with the owner's contact information. Counties may, by ordinance, dispense with or modify the licensing requirement. Each county council sets the licence fee on a two-year cycle, with a default of $4.

Rabies vaccination

Hawaii is rabies-free, and its rabies rules are aimed at keeping it that way. The state's Animal Quarantine Station applies import requirements to dogs and cats entering the state. A dog that meets the 5-Day-Or-Less program, which involves two rabies vaccinations, a microchip and a passing FAVN blood test, qualifies for release in five days or less. A dog that does not meet every requirement is quarantined for up to 120 days.

Dangerous dogs and bites

One state provision deals with dogs that bite. It says the owner of a dog that has bitten a person must take reasonable steps to prevent a recurrence, and it allows any person to bring an action in district court asking the court to decide whether the conditions of the dog's confinement or other circumstances have changed enough to remove the danger. The court may order the dog removed from the area or destroyed by its owner, after weighing its dangerous propensities, the owner's ability to confine it and the need for destruction.

On the civil side, state law says the owner or harborer of an animal that proximately causes personal or property damage to anyone is liable in damages regardless of lack of knowledge of its vicious or dangerous propensities. A separate section says the owner is not liable if the injured person intentionally or knowingly entered or stayed on the premises unlawfully, which includes entering past reasonably adequate posted warnings that an animal is present, or if the animal was teased, tormented or abused without the owner's involvement.

Breed-specific rules

The state's dog statutes contain no breed ban and no rule about county breed regulation.

Tethering and hot cars

Hawaii's cruelty law lists specific tethering offenses. It is cruelty in the second degree, a misdemeanor, to tether a dog to a doghouse, tree, fence or other stationary object, or use a trolley system lacking swivels, in a way that endangers the dog, including preventing it from reaching food and water; to tether or restrain a dog under six months old, unless supervised by its owner or agent; to tether a dog by a tow or log chain; or to tether a dog with a choke, pinch or prong collar unless it is engaged in a supervised activity. Hawaii has no state statute written specifically about pets left in parked cars.

Where to check your local rule

Counties often have stricter leash, licence, number-of-dogs and other rules than the state, so check your county animal control website or ordinance code. If your dog has bitten someone or has been reported, talk to a lawyer or the animal-control office.