Hawaii camera citations: what HRS chapters 291J and 291L say about photo red light imaging detector systems and automated speed enforcement systems

This page quotes the Hawaii Revised Statutes (HRS) as published by the Hawaii State Legislature (data.capitol.hawaii.gov, retrieved 29 Oct 2026): sections of chapter 291J, on photo red light imaging detector systems; sections of chapter 291L and section 291C-108, on automated speed enforcement systems; parts of section 291C-161, on fines; and subsection (a) of section 291D-6, on answering a notice. It also quotes statements of the Hawaii Department of Transportation (HDOT) on its Speed Safety Cameras page, in a news release of 31 Oct 2025, and on a sample Notice of Traffic Infraction it posts (hidot.hawaii.gov), all retrieved 29 Oct 2026 and listed under Sources below. It does not apply them to any notice. Confirm what your paper says.

US overview: What a mailed camera notice is. Contrast: What an NYC camera notice is · Three different California camera notices · Florida Notice of Violation vs Uniform Traffic Citation · Maryland school-zone speed monitoring vs SafeZones work-zone cameras · Colorado automated camera notices: CDOT Speed Enforcement vs local AVIS · Washington automated camera notices: local programs vs WSDOT work-zone cameras · Virginia automated camera notices: photo-speed, red light, and school-bus cameras · Tennessee automated camera notices: unmanned ASE, school-zone / S-curve speed, and school-bus cameras · Pennsylvania automated camera notices: red light, work-zone speed, Philadelphia speed, and school-bus cameras · Illinois automated camera notices: red light, Chicago safety-zone speed, school-bus stop-arm, and railroad-crossing cameras, plus state work-zone speed camera citations · New Mexico city camera notices: Albuquerque ASE and Santa Fe STOP speed cameras · Iowa automated speed camera citations: Iowa DOT-permitted fixed and mobile systems under Iowa Code chapter 321P · Texas red-light camera and city speed camera prohibitions: what Transportation Code chapter 707 and § 542.2035 say · Alabama camera notices: the state work-zone speed camera pilot under Act 2026-475 and city red-light camera local acts · Louisiana camera citations: what R.S. 32:43 to 32:49 say about school-zone speed cameras and red light cameras · Oregon camera citations: what ORS 810.434 to 810.444 say about city photo red light, city photo radar, and highway work-zone photo radar · Rhode Island camera citations: what chapters 31-41.2 and 31-41.3 say about red light cameras and school-zone speed cameras · North Carolina camera citations: what G.S. 160A-300.1, 160A-300.4 and 153A-246.1 say about red light cameras and school-zone speed cameras · South Carolina camera citations: what S.C. Code §§ 56-7-35, 56-5-710(B) and 56-5-70(E) say about citations based on photographic evidence · Minnesota camera citations: what Minn. Stat. §§ 169.147, 169.14 and 169.06 say about the traffic safety camera pilot program · Delaware camera citations: what 21 Del. C. §§ 4101(d) and 4170A say about red light cameras and electronic speed monitoring · Indiana camera citations: what IC 8-23-32 says about the worksite speed control pilot program.

Another page quotes sections 291C-102, 291C-105 and 291D-9 of the Hawaii Revised Statutes, on speed limits, excessive speeding and monetary assessments, with a Hawaii State Judiciary page: What a Hawaii speeding ticket is.

The statute text below is quoted from the data.capitol.hawaii.gov section pages as shown when retrieved on 29 Oct 2026. This page covers the State photo red light and automated speed enforcement programs described in those chapters and on those HDOT pages only; it does not cover any other camera program.

What HRS § 291J-3 says about the photo red light imaging detector systems pilot program

HRS § 291J-3: “Pilot program. There is established the photo red light imaging detector systems pilot program to enforce the traffic-control signal laws of the State, which may be implemented by the city and county of Honolulu, in the major arterial zones on state or county highways, within that area in the city and county of Honolulu established as Honolulu Police Department Districts 1, 5, 6 and 7, as they existed on July 1, 2020. The pilot project shall operate for a minimum of two years, starting from the time the cameras become operational and summons or citations are first issued.”

That is the statute’s statement. This page does not say how that statement applies to a particular citation, license, or insurance policy. This page quotes all of section 291J-3. Chapter 291J has other sections, including sections 291J-1, 291J-2, 291J-4 to 291J-6, 291J-8, 291J-9, and 291J-11 to 291J-13, that this page does not cover. This page does not say where a system is operated or whether a particular intersection is in the area that section names.

What HRS § 291J-7 and § 291J-10 say about registered owner responsibility and penalty

HRS § 291J-7: “In any proceeding for a violation of this chapter, the information contained in the summons or citation, mailed in accordance with section 291J-6, shall be deemed prima facie evidence that a violation of section 291C-32(c) occurred. The registered owner shall be strictly liable for a violation of section 291C-32(c).”

HRS § 291J-10(a): “The penalties for all consequences of a violation for disregarding a steady red signal initiated by the use of a photo red light imaging detector system shall be as provided in section 291C-161.”

HRS § 291J-10(b): “Any summons or citations issued or convictions resulting from this chapter shall not be recorded on a person's traffic abstract and shall not be used for insurance purposes in the provision of motor vehicle insurance coverage.”

That is the statute’s statement. This page does not say how that statement applies to a particular citation, license, or insurance policy. This page quotes all of sections 291J-7 and 291J-10. This page does not quote section 291J-6 or section 291C-32. Parts of section 291C-161 are quoted below.

What HRS § 291C-161 subsections (b) and (f) say about fines

HRS § 291C-161(b): “Except as provided in subsections (c) and (d), every person who is determined to have violated any provision of this chapter for which another penalty is not provided shall be fined not more than:”

HRS § 291C-161(f): “Fines collected for a violation of section 291C-32(c) pursuant to the photo red light imaging detector system established pursuant to chapter 291J shall be deposited into the photo red light imaging detector systems program special fund established under section 291J-12 and shall be expended in the county in which the fine was imposed, for purposes that include the establishment, implementation, operation, oversight, management, repair, and maintenance of a photo red light imaging detector system.”

That is the statute’s statement. This page does not say how that statement applies to a particular citation, license, or insurance policy. Section 291C-161 has other subsections, (a), (c) to (e), (g), and (h), that this page does not cover, including subsections (c) and (d), which subsection (b) names. Act 94 of 2026 amended subsection (g). This page does not quote section 291C-32, section 291J-12, or section 291L-10. This page does not say which subsection of section 291C-161 a court applies to a particular notice. HDOT’s Red-Light Safety Program page and its news release of 31 Oct 2025 also state amounts for red-light violations; this page does not quote those amounts.

Act 94 of 2026 and HRS § 291L-2

Act 94 of 2026 (S.B. No. 3157), approved by the Governor on June 5, 2026, amended HRS § 291L-2, on the automated speed enforcement systems program. It also amended sections 291J-1, 291J-2, 291L-3, and 291L-10 and subsection (g) of section 291C-161. The data.capitol.hawaii.gov page for section 291L-2, as retrieved on 29 Oct 2026, shows the section as it read before Act 94, so this page does not quote section 291L-2. The Act is listed under Sources below. This page does not say what the Act changed or how it applies to a particular notice.

Chapter 291L has other sections, including sections 291L-1, 291L-2, 291L-3, 291L-4.5, and 291L-8 to 291L-11, that this page does not cover.

What HRS § 291C-108 says about noncompliance with maximum speed limit under automated speed enforcement system

HRS § 291C-108(a): “Whenever a motor vehicle travels through a location actively monitored by an automated speed enforcement system, all registered owners of all motor vehicles in vehicular traffic shall be held strictly liable for their motor vehicle's compliance with the maximum speed limit, to the extent that registered owners may be cited and held accountable for their motor vehicle traveling at a speed not less than five miles per hour over the posted maximum speed limit, via civil traffic infractions pursuant to chapter 291L. The department may increase the minimum speed threshold for issuance of a citation pursuant to administrative rules adopted pursuant to chapter 91.”

HRS § 291C-108(b): “In the event a registered owner is cited pursuant to chapter 291L, and the driver of the motor vehicle is cited pursuant to another section in this part for the same incident, the citation issued pursuant to chapter 291L shall be dismissed.”

HRS § 291C-108(c): “If the maximum speed limit is exceeded by more than ten miles per hour, an additional surcharge of $10 shall be imposed, and shall be deposited into the neurotrauma special fund.”

HRS § 291C-108(d): “If the motor vehicle is traveling at a speed exceeding:”

HRS § 291C-108(d) continues: “the registered owner shall pay a fine of $250.”

HRS § 291C-108(e): “To the extent a registered owner's motor vehicle fails to comply with any other law or ordinance related to traffic-control signals, the registered owner of a motor vehicle shall not be held strictly liable unless otherwise provided by law.”

HRS § 291C-108(f): “For purposes of this section, "maximum speed limit" means the maximum speed limit established by county ordinance or by official signs placed by the director of transportation on highways under the director's jurisdiction.”

That is the statute’s statement. This page does not say how that statement applies to a particular citation, license, or insurance policy. This page quotes all of section 291C-108. This page does not quote chapter 91 or any rule adopted under it, and it does not say what threshold a particular notice was issued under.

What HRS § 291L-4 says about automated speed enforcement system requirements

HRS § 291L-4(a): “Automated speed enforcement system equipment shall be operated from a fixed pole, post, or other fixed structure on a state highway or county highway.”

HRS § 291L-4(b): “Signs or other traffic-control signal devices indicating that traffic signal laws are enforced by an automated speed enforcement system shall be posted on major routes entering the area in question to provide, as far as practicable, notice to drivers of the existence and operation of the automated speed enforcement system.”

HRS § 291L-4(c): “Proof of a violation of section 291C-108 shall be evidenced by information obtained from an automated speed enforcement system authorized pursuant to this chapter. A certificate, sworn to or affirmed by the reviewing county police department, or a facsimile thereof, based upon inspection of any clear and unobstructed photographs, microphotographs, video, or other recorded images produced by the system, shall be prima facie evidence of the facts contained therein. Any photographs, microphotographs, video, or other recorded images shall be available for inspection in any proceeding to adjudicate the liability for that violation.”

HRS § 291L-4(d): “It shall be a defense to any prosecution for a violation of exceeding the maximum motor vehicle speed limits pursuant to this chapter and section 291C-108 that the automated speed enforcement system was malfunctioning at the time of the alleged violation.”

HRS § 291L-4(e): “The conditions specified in this section shall not apply when the information gathered is used for highway safety research or to issue warning citations not involving a fine or court appearance.”

HRS § 291L-4(f): “As used in this section, "county highway" and "state highway" have the same meaning as defined in section 264-1.”

That is the statute’s statement. This page does not say how that statement applies to a particular citation, license, or insurance policy. This page quotes all of section 291L-4. This page does not quote section 264-1, and it does not say whether any subsection applies to a particular notice.

What HRS § 291L-5 says about summons or citation

HRS § 291L-5(a): “Notwithstanding any law to the contrary and except as otherwise provided in this chapter, beginning January 1, 2025, whenever any motor vehicle is determined, by means of an automated speed enforcement system, to have violated section 291C-108, the State's third-party contractor shall cause a summons or citation, as described in this section, to be sent by first-class mail to the registered owner of the motor vehicle. The summons or citation shall be mailed to the registered owner's address on record at the vehicle licensing division and submitted to the post office within ten calendar days after the date of the incident. The State, the county, or the State's or county's third-party contractor shall implement a process to record the date on which the summons or citation was submitted to the post office, and the record shall be prima facie evidence of the date the summons or citation was submitted to the post office. If the end of the ten-calendar-day period falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or holiday, then the ending period shall run until the end of the next day that is not a Saturday, Sunday, or holiday. The registered owner shall be determined by the identification of the motor vehicle license plate.”

HRS § 291L-5(d): “Before mailing the summons or citation for a traffic infraction pursuant to subsection (a), the applicable county police department shall review and verify the clear and unobstructed photographic, digital, or other visual image of the license plate of the motor vehicle required under this section.”

HRS § 291L-5(e): “Upon receipt of the summons or citation, the registered owner shall respond as provided for in section 291D-6. A record of the mailing of the summons or citation prepared in the ordinary course of business shall be prima facie evidence of notification.”

HRS § 291L-5(f): “Procedures regarding answering a notice, court actions, and court hearings shall be pursuant to sections 291D-6, 291D-7, 291D-8, and 291D-13; provided that it shall not be a defense to any citation issued pursuant to this chapter that another person was driving the defendant's motor vehicle at the time of incident, unless the motor vehicle was stolen as documented by a police report; provided further that any reference to the defendant's commission of the traffic infraction or similar language shall be interpreted to mean commission of the traffic infraction.”

HRS § 291L-5(g): “Any summons or citations issued or convictions resulting from this chapter shall not be recorded on a person's traffic abstract and shall not be used for insurance purposes in the provision of motor vehicle insurance coverage.”

That is the statute’s statement. This page does not say how that statement applies to a particular citation, license, or insurance policy. Section 291L-5 has other subsections, (b) and (c), that this page does not cover. Subsection (a) of section 291D-6 is quoted below. This page does not quote section 291D-7, section 291D-8, or section 291D-13.

What HRS § 291L-6 and § 291L-7 say about registered owner responsibility and failure to comply

HRS § 291L-6: “In any proceeding pursuant to this chapter, the information contained in the summons or citation mailed in accordance with section 291L-5 shall be deemed prima facie evidence that a violation of section 291C-108 occurred. The registered owner shall be strictly liable for a violation of section 291C-108.”

HRS § 291L-7: “If the registered owner of the motor vehicle fails to respond to a summons or citation within thirty days from the date of the mailing of the summons or citation, the district court shall issue a notice of entry of judgment of default to the registered owner of the motor vehicle pursuant to section 291D-7(e).”

HRS § 291D-6(a): “A person who receives a notice of traffic infraction, notice of emergency period infraction, or notice of fireworks infraction shall answer the notice within twenty-one days of the date of issuance of the notice. There shall be included with the notice of traffic infraction, notice of emergency period infraction, or notice of fireworks infraction a preaddressed envelope directed to the traffic, emergency period, and fireworks violations bureau of the applicable district court.”

That is the statute’s statement. This page does not say how that statement applies to a particular citation, license, or insurance policy. This page quotes all of sections 291L-6 and 291L-7. Section 291D-6 has other subsections, (b) and (c), that this page does not cover. This page does not quote section 291D-7, and it does not say what date or deadline applies to a particular notice.

What the HDOT Speed Safety Cameras page says about status, fines, and threshold

The HDOT Speed Safety Cameras page states, under “Current Status”: “The Safety Camera Systems have been activated for automated speed enforcement.”

The Speed Safety Cameras page states, under “What is the fine for speeding violations?”: “The fine for a speed violation may range between $167 – $317 depending on how much over the posted speed limit the vehicle was observed going.”

The Speed Safety Cameras page states, under “What’s the threshhold?”: “For speed, HDOT is targeting the highest-risk behaviors (e.g., vehicles traveling more than 11 mph over the posted speed limit).”

The Speed Safety Cameras page states, under “How do I know the letter I got is not a scam?”: “No action is required for the warnings.” It continues: “No payment is needed for any of the warnings and it will not be reflected in your driver history or traffic abstract.” It continues: “For citations, a sample citation can be viewed here.”

Those are the agency page’s statements. The Speed Safety Cameras page has other paragraphs and questions and answers that this page does not cover. This page does not say what amount or speed appears on a particular notice.

What the HDOT news release of 31 Oct 2025 says about citations

The news release, headed “Safety camera activated for citations starting November 1” and marked “Posted on Oct 31, 2025”, states: “HONOLULU – The Hawai‘i Department of Transportation (HDOT) advises motorists that the safety camera systems at 10 downtown Honolulu intersections will begin issuing citations for high-risk speed behaviors on Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025.” It continues, after a list of locations: “Cameras at these locations have been issuing citations for red-light running violations since November of 2022 and have been issuing warnings for speeds above the posted limit since March 2025.”

Those are the news release’s statements, as of the date it was posted. The release has other sentences, a list of locations with posted speed limits, and questions and answers that this page does not cover. This page does not list camera locations. HDOT’s Red-Light Safety Program page lists red-light camera intersections under “Current Status”: HDOT Red-Light Safety Program.

What the HDOT sample Notice of Traffic Infraction lists

The sample notice is headed “HAWAII SPEED SAFETY PROGRAM” and “NOTICE OF TRAFFIC INFRACTION - SPEED”. The sample notice states: “The Hawaii Department of Transportation has a photo enforcement program in effect to reduce the number of speed infractions.” Under “FINE AMOUNT”, the sample notice lists “$177.00”, and under “ORDINANCES” it lists “HRS §291C-108(a)”.

The sample notice states: “This infraction is not recorded on a person's traffic abstract and shall not be used for insurance purposes in the provision of motor vehicle insurance coverage.” It also states: “This Notice of Traffic Infraction(s) (Notice) charges you with committing a civil traffic infraction under HRS § 291C-108.” It also states: “Under Hawai‘i state law (Hawai‘i Revised Statutes §291D-6(a)) a person who receives a traffic citation must respond within 21 calendar days.”

Those are the sample notice’s statements. The sample notice has other entries, including sample names, dates, speeds, a location, and instructions, that this page does not cover. This page does not say what amount, statute, or date appears on a particular notice.

Paths the notice describes (not which to choose)

Read which agency or program issued your paper, which chapter or section it names, whether it is a warning or a citation, the date, any amount, and the response instructions printed on it. We do not tell you which path to choose or what step to take.

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Sources retrieved 29 Oct 2026:

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Information on this page was last checked against official sources on November 8, 2026.