A bill now in the Hawaii State Senate seeks to establish a statewide visitor fee program in order to access up to 50 of Hawaii’s beaches, parks, trails, coastline, etc. SB 3192, as current worded, would require park passes for out-of-state visitors only.
There are 50 Hawaii parks on five of the major Hawaiian islands. Ten of these already have non-residents admission and parking fees (typically $5/person and $10/vehicle), including Hanauma State Park pictured here where the entrance fee is now $25/person. Hawaii residents are exempt. If this measure becomes law, the current visitor fees will be replaced with the annual pass.
The bill is currently going through the legislature. If approved, here’s what it’ll do:
“Establish a visitor impact fee program, to be administered by the department of land and natural resources, as a license required by visitors for usage of Hawaii’s public beaches, parks, trails, coastlines, and environment. The purpose of the visitor impact fee program shall be to provide sustained funding for the protection, restoration, and care of Hawaii’s state-owned natural and outdoor recreational resources and build the resilience of these resources to the impacts of increased visitor use.”
Key aspects of the bill provide for the following:
- Any visitor age 15+ who visits a state park, beach, state-owned forest, hiking trail, or other state-owned natural area on state-owned land must pay an impact fee to obtain a license good for one year from the day of the license purchase (violators will be fined).
- Residents would be exempt from paying such fees.
- Once implemented, existing state park entrance fees will be rescinded.
- Money collected will go into a special fund rather than the state’s general fund.
BOH: We don’t know what the state legislature will ultimately approve, but it’s clear that this is the direction in which Hawaii and other similar destinations in the U.S. and worldwide are moving. Furthermore, not specified were 1) what the fees would be; 2) whether there would be any exemptions such as seniors, with disabilities or military; 3) how such a system would be managed; 4) whether admission will be statewide, by island, or per park); and 5) whether reservation transferrable and, perhaps most importantly, what the enforcement and penalty mechanisms would be.
Uhero said, “Importantly, possession of a license may not guarantee entry to a specific state park or natural area if current rules and visitor caps at existing state parks—such as those at Haena State Park—still apply. If a visitor paid for a pass but can’t get reservations (for car and person) to visit Haena State Park, should they be eligible for a refund? As a well-known idiom states, ‘The devil is in the details.’ The Legislature should request DLNR to develop a plan with the requisite details.”
How similar programs work in other U.S. states.
UHero noted that “Hawaii is actually a late-comer among states in the establishment of an annual state parks pass/license.
The way park passes work varies by state. Some offer annual passes that provide either statewide or park-by park access. Programs are either for individuals or are vehicle-associated. Annual passes avoid daily fees. Most states that have annual passes also offer day passes.
Nebraska. Annual vehicle pass $31 for Nebraska vehicles (or $6 per day) and $61 for non-Nebraska vehicles ($12 per day).
Idaho. Annual resident vehicle passport of $10 and non-resident passport of $80.
Iowa. Annual visitor-only pass for $40 at most-visited state parks; also $5 per day option.
Montana. Annual state park fee of $9 paid with vehicle registration. All others pay daily park fees. Nonresidents can either purchase an annual entrance pass for $50 or a 7-day pass for $35.
Washington. Washington State is an example of states that offer free admission days during the year.
Current Entrance Fees at Hawaii State Parks
Hawaii already has a park entry fee system. Hawaii’s State Park System, administered by Department of Land and Natural Resources, Division of State Parks, is composed of 50 parks on five major islands. Ten of them require non-residents to pay both an entrance fee ($5 per person) and a parking fee ($10 per non-commercial vehicle; commercial vehicles pay more); residents with proper IDs are admitted free.
Annual passes have advantages and disadvantages, with one of the major issues being that passes don’t reflect the actual usage impact on individual parks. Entrance fees per park tend to better ration natural resources.
Should residents pay to visit Hawaii state parks?
UHero said “‘Yes.’ Those who oppose charging residents to enter State parks and natural areas argue that residents already ‘contribute significantly’ toward their upkeep through the taxes they pay to the State government. It is the same argument that survived a legal challenge to enable Honolulu County to impose a visitors-only admission fee at the City’s Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve in the 1990s. But the argument is weak. Visitors to Hawaii pay more tax revenues to the State government than what it costs the State to provide services to them. Consider that in 2019, tourism generated an estimated $2.07 billion in tax revenues to the State (including multiplier effects), or about 25% of total State tax collections; but visitors represented only 15.4% of Hawaii’s de facto (tourist + resident) population.”
UHero summed up the argument by saying that “both residents and tourists contribute to park congestion and natural area degradation, and, hence, both should pay.”
We want to hear your input.
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Gp says
So done with Hawaii! Bad beyond belief now.
Jack N says
I qualified for and received a Senior Pass from the National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass. Does anyone know if this will exempt me from any additional state charges?
PegM says
I also have the senior pass and still pay state park entrance fees everywhere I’ve been. They’re different jurisdictions.
Bill says
I believe they will only work on federal parks and not state parks, if you use them at any Hawaii park it would not be a issue the locals will be working those gates and are nice and would let you in free, tell them you are kapuna.
Billy T says
Yes charge a heavy price, to many tourist are visiting island’s especially Maui born raised , enough these tourist that dislike the fee come for a week and leave and go home we have to live here, and we pay a lot in taxes, you people pay 300+ for a hotel room and 100+ for a rent a car, relax pay up your fees stop complains about what Hawaii charges, you don’t like fees don’t come go to Mexico they have zero fees, no we don’t need tourist, we will not starve give locals a brake.
Ben says
Hawaiian residents are always complaining about all the taxes and fees you have to pay as a resident. You blame the tourist. Your tourism boar has advertised for years that Hawaii wants visitors You really need to blame the politicians you voted into office. They are the ones they have taxed you to the limit. Taxed you until you won’t stand for anymore taxes and fees.
Ben says
It cost my family of 5 roughly $15k to spend two weeks in Kauai. Almost $4k goes to various taxes and fees! I’ll pay a state park fee 1. money actually goes to park upkeep. 2. Residents that use the same parks also pay a reduced resident fee of 50% of what visitors have to pay. Also don’t blame visitors for your high cost of living and taxes. It’s your greedy politicians and all of their taxation of locals, and now visitors.
Goldie C says
This proposed bill is discrimination pure and simple. The government of Hawaii keeps getting stupider and stupider on a daily basis. At this point WHY would anyone from the mainland visit Hawaii with all their proposed fees specifically aimed at visitors? Pretty soon only the rich and famous will be the only ones able to afford to visit Hawaii. How long before the money-hungry government expands these fees to locals as well?
Johnny B says
I’m happy to spend the extra money to help out Hawaii. If you want to go to the Caribbean or Mexico instead, go for it.
Sean says
PegM
Hawaii greatly benefits from being a US state. Hawaii is not a country and Federal tax dollars pour into Hawaii from out of state tax payers. If US visitors are required to pay these additional taxes, so should locals.
PegM says
Hawaii is one of three states included in the top 20 states that recieve more federal benefits than they pay in taxes.
Not sure if you understand the logistics of getting all those products you enjoy while on your interment trips to the islands. Just saying
PegM says
Oops I before e except after c
Billy T says
I’m local we pay enough in taxes, for tourist that come and leave rubbish and go of trails and wreck the land,
Charge tourist big time, let not mention the rescues we have to pay for because people from America feel they can jump over rails fall from cliff, or dot care about warning signs, we as locals pay millions in taxes for tourist getting hurt .
Angela L says
How is it you are taxed when tourist get hurt? I don’t understand the connection
Sean P says
What happens when you purchase a yearly pass for your 5 day trip and the weather forecast is poor. Do you still go hiking because you already purchase the yearly pass? Is the state/county going to charge you additional fees for the flash flood rescue? What a scam.
How about Hawaii finding a sustainable economic industry rather than sticking to the visitors?
Kathy M says
Thanks for the informative articles.
In California there are several types of annual state park passes, and pretty much all developed state parks (parking lot, restroom, signage) require an entry fee or annual park pass from everyone, visitors and residents. I am happy to pay for park access if the funds go to the maintaining and improving the park system, in California and/or Hawaii just as I did at Hapuna Beach and the other parks I visited on the Big Island on my recent trip there.
Angela L says
It all used to be FREE…. Could the list of millions die to Covid restrictions have something to do with all this??
Angela L says
Is there a discount for senior citizens? ( Age 60+?)
Dot S. says
Residents should pay the fees same as visitors. No other state has resident exceptions that I know of. I agree with other comments, that once you start charging fees, they tend to go up and up every year. If the bill goes through, the monies collected should have a yearly report what the heck they’re doing with this money. Too many times we are taxed and discover the money has be misappropriated by another department. If they’re smart, they’ll make a big deal about how the fees were used.
Bill t says
We already pay taxes as locals,
You want us to be charged to visit a park we pay for already ?
Angela L says
Okay, so I live in California- taxes are very high- and when’s we visit any National Park, and some state parks, we have to pay! It’s the rules.
I think the word “ taxes” has a negative connotation because there is so much corruption, from the Federal level on down, and trust has been broken…Charging $25.00/pp is excessive…Changing $10/pp is more appropriate.
Hal says
A question. It is my understanding that the state owns all te lands below some high tide line. So, this permit would be required too use any beach in the state? The other question that came up to me is we know some folks who spend their whole time in a single resort/hotel/time share. They make little to no use of state owned lands, especially lands with any “improvements”. They might not want support this, either.
Jill C. says
I agree that residents should have to pay fees as well, although I think it should be reduced. If money is used for preservation and maintenance, there is no way to distinguish residential or visitor use or degradation, and everyone benefits equally from nature.
John T says
Residents should include home, apartment or condo OWNERS who can show a current property tax bill or proof of paying property or state taxes. Part time residents W/O Hawaii drivers licenses or handicapped but have current tax bills- proof should be exempt. Mahalo
Glenna G says
Thanks for this information. For comparison sake, Arizona (my state) has an annual state park pass for $75 (with limitations) or $200 (no limitations), and there are no discounts for residents or seniors or anyone else. Daily entrance fees range from $2 to $30, and there are discounts for military, and greater discounts if both military and AZ residents. I expect to pay a fee in state parks, whether it’s my state or not. Best wishes to Hawaii as they work on figuring this out!
Richard C says
The Hawaiian islands are being trampled to death by tourists. This isn’t an exclusive issue to Hawaii many tourist destinations are going through the same. Current thinking by government is to require reservations, raise fees and limit access to protect the integrity of the destination.
Bottom line it’s 2022 and over 7 billion people live on the planet be happy that you got to enjoy Hawaii when there was only 5 billion people on the planet
Billy T says
We pay 9 bucks a gallon for milk, cost of living is 3x more than main land, they come jack up prices for locals because they are on vacation, so we as locals get robbed because of them, and they want us to pay because they are destroying our aina, no make ‘em pay hard .
Hiroshi M. says
That’s penalizing tourists and expatriates like myself who grew up, graduated high school and lived there most of my life.
I left home and now live in NC. This is not conducive to promoting tourism or expatriates like me to go home with my Haole wife, if we have to pay to show her our wonderful island
Ken says
I am surprised that the decision makers in the Hawaiian government are not more clever. A policy that discriminates between visitors and locals only breeds bias between these groups. With tourism being the life blood of the economy, for better or worse, locals depend upon visitors happily coming to Hawaii and spending money. So how is this discrimination helpful?
If Hawaii needs more revenue, they already have numerous lodging and rental car taxes largely paid by visitors. Just raise those!
Deb says
They already did the hotel/condo gouge.. This is a greedy greedy state.. all they want to do is build that rail to nowhere, to provide shade for all the people will have a place to hang out in the shade under it.
PegM says
I can’t imagine a lot of tourists travel to a destination that they feel animus toward the local people.
I know there are places that I avoid visiting. I can’t imagine Hawaii is particularly concerned that people that don’t like Hawaiians might not visit.
If you don’t like Hawaii or Hawaiians don’t go.
GTM says
Requiring visitors to purchase annual passes when most only are on the island for 1-3 weeks is nothing but a money grab. I own deeded time share property and pay significant taxes to the state already will this make me exempt? Hawaii is quickly pricing itself out of the market.
Richard L says
In CA disabled veterans get free entrance to all of the states’ park. Also a reduced (for some Disabled vets free) hunting and fishing permits.
I feel like everything Hawaii is doing is to keep away the hands that feeds them. The “Aloha spirit” is no longer there and that’s sad.
There is enough dislike in this world, it’s a shame the lawmakers want to worsen the situation by discriminating against non-residents all because they are greedy and want money. A tourist pays almost 18% in taxes.
Julie says
As a resident of Maui I’m all for moderate fees that go 100% to the park, maintenance, etc A kama’aina discount would be appreciated, especially although for a paved parking lot $5 isn’t exorbitant. Or a 3 day all inclusive pass for visitors at major attractions for visitors. You can’t keep charging tourists for everything. And you need to use the monies where and for what they are collected.
Delia S says
Well this is ridiculous it’s just another excuse to take from-families who have been coming to Oahu for years… I’m gonna have to look to vacation somewhere else, because it’s getting way too expensive! . This is America, we are having to pay to go onto the beaches? Looks like you guys are now catering to the rich? Very sad. You are taking advantage of the people who have been coming to Hawaii for years we (tourist) have been pumping up your economy for years and you still want more!
rebecca k says
Less, actually; we want less.