Question: My Hawaii driver’s license is delaminating, with a partial separation and some black spotting on the paper portion. Is my license still valid, or does it need to be replaced? Is this replacement free?
Answer: You should replace the damaged license before it gets any worse.
All "defective" driver’s licenses and state ID cards are replaced without charge, then returned to the vendor to see what went wrong, said Dennis Kamimura, administrator of the city Motor Vehicle and Licensing Division.
Just present your license to the staff at one of the city’s five driver’s licensing sites and you will be issued a temporary license. The permanent license will then be mailed to you, Kamimura said.
You don’t have to fill out an application, and the same expiration date will be maintained, he said. You will not be required to present proof of legal name, date of birth, Social Security number and legal presence until your license is up for renewal.
However, if your license/ID is lost or stolen, or if your name has changed for whatever reason, you would have to apply for a duplicate. The fee for duplicates is $6.
See www1.honolulu.gov/csd/vehicle/faqs_dl.htm#license_applydup for more information.
Question: I purchased a moped from a Maui dealer. I have the bill of sale but am unable to register it in Honolulu. I want to do it legally as I do not want it seized by police. My moped is an Ice Bear Mad Dog, which has a top speed of 45 mph but goes under 30 mph on a level surface. It has a safety check, which Maui County and Hawaii County require for all mopeds. It also had a Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard tag, which all vehicles operating on roadways need, although I was told to return the tag after a month. When I went to the Dillingham Satellite City Hall, I was told the moped couldn’t be registered and was given a number to call.
I called, was told to call another number, then another number, but still can’t get an explanation. I do not understand how a vehicle can be easily registered in one county and not in another.
I know I am not the only one on Oahu with this make of moped. Can you get an answer?
Answer: You have since been told why your moped can’t be registered on Oahu.
The problem is that your vehicle travels faster than the allowable maximum speed for a moped, and you weren’t able to produce a certificate of compliance from the company you bought it from, according to city officials.
Section 291C-203 of the Hawaii Revised Statutes says any business selling mopeds is required to provide the finance director of the county in which the mopeds are sold a certificate from the moped manufacturer showing that the model meets moped classification requirements, said Sheri Kajiwara, director of the city Department of Customer Services.
"One such requirement is that a moped shall not be able to travel at maximum speed greater than 30 miles per hour," she said. "Greater than that, and it cannot be considered a moped or be licensed as one."
She said that when you were not able to produce a certificate of compliance, her staff did try to help by doing a website search for your moped model, which showed a maximum speed of 41.6 mph.
Kajiwara said she couldn’t comment about why or how your moped was registered in another county.
MAHALO
To Alkai and Vincent for helping a veteran find his car at the Navy Exchange. Harry, a submarine veteran from World War II, Korea and Vietnam, had been looking for his car and couldn’t find it. After we helped him search the area, Alkai and Vincent came to his rescue, driving around and finding his car on the other side of the parking lot. Always love to see the ohana and aloha spirit found throughout the island. — Carol and Dave Lausman
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