(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, any vehicle identified for removal pursuant to any county ordinance ordering removal of motor vehicles by any county police department for traffic violations, or any vehicle involved in a motor vehicle accident that cannot be moved under its own power or is otherwise disabled, including a vehicle which constitutes an obstruction or hazard to traffic, may be towed away at the expense of the registered owner of the vehicle, as provided by this section.
Terms Used In Hawaii Revised Statutes 291C-165.5
- Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
- county: includes the city and county of Honolulu. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 1-22
- Escheat: Reversion of real or personal property to the state when 1) a person dies without leaving a will and has no heirs, or 2) when the property (such as a bank account) has been inactive for a certain period of time. Source: OCC
- Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
- Lien: A claim against real or personal property in satisfaction of a debt.
- Motor vehicle: means every vehicle which is self-propelled and every vehicle which is propelled by electric power but not operated upon rails but excludes a moped. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 291C-1
- Owner: means a person, other than a lien holder, having the property in or title to a vehicle. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 291C-1
- Traffic: means pedestrians, ridden or herded animals, vehicles, and other conveyances either singly or together while using any highway for purposes of travel. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 291C-1
- Vehicle: means every device in, upon, or by which any person or property is or may be transported or drawn upon a roadway or highway, including mopeds and bicycles, but excluding toy bicycles, devices other than bicycles moved by human power, and devices used exclusively upon stationary rails or tracks. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 291C-1
Any towing company engaged in towing pursuant to this section shall comply with the requirements of section 291C-135. When the vehicle is recovered after the tow by the last registered owner or lien holder, the party recovering the vehicle shall pay the tow and storage charges which shall not exceed the charges as provided by section 290-11(b) or the rates agreed upon with the respective counties, whichever is lower, except that tow operators may charge additional reasonable amounts for excavating vehicles from off-road locations; provided that if the notice required by this section was not sent within twenty days after the tow, neither the last registered owner nor the lien holder shall be required to pay the tow and storage charges. No notice shall be sent to a legal or last registered owner or any person with any unrecorded interest in the vehicle whose name or address cannot be determined. Any person who violates any provision of this section shall be deemed to have:
(1) Engaged in an unfair or deceptive act or practice in the conduct of any trade or commerce within the meaning of section 480-2 and subject to the penalties and remedies of chapter 480; and
(2) Furnished services without a license within the meaning of section 487-13 and subject to penalties and remedies under chapter 487.
(c) When a vehicle is recovered by the owner or lien holder before written notice is sent by registered or certified mail, the towing company shall provide the owner or lien holder with a receipt stating the maximum towing charges and fees allowed by law and the telephone number of the county finance department that arranged for or authorized the tow.
(d) When a vehicle is not recovered within thirty days after the mailing of the notice, it shall be deemed abandoned and the owner of the towing company, or the owner of the towing company’s authorized representative, after one statewide public notice as required in section 1-28.5, may negotiate a sale of the vehicle or dispose of it as junk.
(e) The authorized seller of the vehicle shall be entitled to the proceeds of the sale to the extent that compensation is due to the authorized seller for services rendered in respect to the vehicle, including reasonable and customary charges for towing, handling, storage, and the cost of the notices and advertising required by this part. Any remaining balance shall be forwarded to the registered owner or lien holder of the vehicle if the registered owner or lien holder is found. If the registered owner or lien holder cannot be found, the balance shall be deposited with the director of finance of the State and shall be paid out to the registered owner or lien holder of the vehicle if a proper claim is filed therefor within one year from the execution of the sales agreement. The lien holder shall have first priority to the funds to the extent of the lien holder’s claim. If no claim is made within the year allowed, the money shall escheat to the State.
(f) The transfer of title and interest by sale under this section is a transfer by operation of law; provided that if the certificate of ownership or registration is unavailable, a bill of sale executed by an authorized seller is satisfactory evidence authorizing the transfer of the title or interest.
(g) In the event that a motor vehicle is involved in an accident and cannot be moved under its own power or is otherwise disabled and constitutes an obstruction or hazard to traffic, and the vehicle has not been ordered to be towed by the applicable county police department, the towing of such vehicle and the towing and storage expenses shall be subject to the provisions of section 290-11(b).
(h) This section shall not apply to a county that has adopted ordinances regulating towing operations. This section shall not apply to automobile clubs or towing companies operating under a contract with an automobile club, insurer, or motor vehicle manufacturer. For purposes of this subsection, “automobile club” means a legal entity that, in consideration of dues, assessments, or periodic payments of money, promises to assist its members or subscribers in matters relating to motor travel or the operation, use, or maintenance of a motor vehicle by supplying services that may include but are not limited to towing services and emergency road service.
