Dog owners on Oahu could soon face substantially steeper financial penalties and the prospect of jail time if they permit their pets to wander unsupervised, following the unanimous approval of new regulatory legislation by the Honolulu City Council. The measure is designed to crack down on irresponsible pet ownership and mitigate mounting community safety concerns regarding uncontrolled animals across the island.
The proposed ordinance, designated as Bill 16, was approved on its third and final reading committee draft during a recent Council session. Having cleared the municipal legislature without opposition, the document has been formally transmitted to Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi for his executive review. Official municipal records indicate that the mayor has until September 24 to decide whether to sign the legislation into law or exercise his veto power.
First introduced in January by Council Member Val Okimoto, the measure establishes a comprehensive overhaul of Oahu’s animal control statutes. The legislation was drafted in response to frequent complaints and escalating safety concerns from local residents, many of whom have expressed alarm over stray packs and questioned whether the island's existing enforcement framework is adequate to deter dangerous encounters and prevent animal attacks.
Under the updated statutory guidelines, the financial repercussions for criminal infractions would see a dramatic escalation. For an initial criminal infraction in which an owner has had no prior offenses within a two-year window, the baseline fine would surge from the current $50 penalty to $250.
Repeat offenders would face even more severe consequences under the proposed criminal tier. A second criminal violation occurring within a two-year period would see fines climb from $100 up to $500. For a third or subsequent violation within that same two-year span, the court could impose a maximum fine of $1,000, sentence the pet owner to up to 30 days of imprisonment, or enforce a combination of both penalties. The ordinance explicitly defines it as unlawful for an owner to allow a dog to become a stray or to fail to take reasonable precautions to prevent an animal from escaping.
Beyond the heightened criminal penalties, Bill 16 establishes an entirely new, parallel system of civil enforcement. Under this administrative framework, civil citations would be levied at $250 for a first-time violation, $500 for a second offense within two years, and $1,000 for any subsequent violations involving the same statutory provision within the two-year timeframe.
The day-to-day execution of this new civil enforcement process would be delegated directly to the municipality's contracted animal-control personnel. To ensure institutional oversight, the director of the city Department of Customer Services—or an alternative department head designated by the mayor—would be mandated to incorporate strict enforcement standards into the contractor's city agreement and regularly audit the contractor's ongoing performance.
Under this civil process, authorized animal-control officers would possess the authority to issue formal notices requiring pet owners to address noncompliant conditions and bring their animals into compliance. The measure also embeds administrative due process into the system, granting dog owners the right to participate in an official hearing before any monetary civil penalties can be finalized and assessed against them.
However, the rollout of these civil enforcement mechanisms will not occur immediately upon the bill's enactment. If Mayor Blangiardi signs the measure, the civil penalties and administrative citation process will only take effect after the Department of Customer Services officially drafts, reviews, and adopts the formal administrative rules governing hearing procedures and enforcement standards.
Alongside the civil updates, the bill modernizes the handling of criminal citations by shifting legal procedures out of the city's standard violations bureau. Individuals who receive criminal summonses will now be directed to appear directly in District Court. Under the new rules, an individual’s failure to answer a court summons can trigger the entry of a formal penal complaint and the issuance of an arrest warrant. All financial proceeds generated from both civil and criminal penalties will be deposited into the city’s general fund.
The urgency surrounding the legislation was highlighted during public testimony by residents who have suffered traumatic encounters with loose dogs. Stephanie Hilton, a Honolulu resident and service-dog handler, submitted written testimony recounting a severe attack that took place on August 23 while she was camping at an undisclosed Oahu site.
Hilton recounted being ambushed by three or four unleashed, medium-to-large canines. In an effort to shield her working animal, she hoisted her service dog over her head, but one of the aggressive dogs managed to clamp onto the animal's leg. Although Hilton was able to maneuver and free her service dog before it suffered puncture wounds, she sustained multiple puncture injuries to both of her own legs, ultimately requiring emergency medical care at Tripler Army Medical Center.
In her testimony, Hilton noted that the attacking animals belonged to a nearby homeless individual who later acknowledged responsibility but admitted he lacked the physical equipment required to secure and restrain his dogs. Hilton stressed to council members that while punitive measures are helpful, legal penalties alone cannot fully resolve the problem if vulnerable pet owners lack basic restraint tools, training, resources, and timely intervention before violent attacks occur.
Despite calls for broader preventive resources, Bill 16 has received significant backing from animal-welfare organizations, including the Hawaiian Humane Society. Proponents maintain that establishing dual civil and criminal pathways provides essential flexibility to hold negligent owners accountable.
Susan Collins, representing the Bird and Bee Hawaii Animal Sanctuary, submitted testimony for the Council’s September 9 meeting praising the bill's enhancement of the Revised Ordinances of Honolulu. Collins pointed out that careless owners whose animals habitually escape due to a lack of reasonable precautions currently face little to no accountability, largely because an overburdened criminal court system frequently dismisses minor stray-dog cases outright.
Collins emphasized that equipping field officers with civil citation authority gives the city a practical, immediate enforcement mechanism that bypasses crowded court dockets. She noted that stray and roaming dogs represent a severe safety hazard not only to members of the general public, but also to the animals themselves, concluding that the updated legislation serves to safeguard both the community and island pets.
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