Odd Laws Still on the Books
Four sterile snakes for training dogs, no billboards and used bee gear: real Hawaii sections
Lists of strange state laws get passed around with no section number attached. Every one below has one, read from the Hawaii Revised Statutes.
Who handles this in Hawaii: legal aid programs, lawyer referral and the state offices, listed in the Hawaii directory.
| The law | What it says |
|---|---|
| The lawSnakes for dog training | What it saysThe one exception to the snake ban lets the department keep four live, sterile, male brown tree snakes to research and to train snake detector dogs, and a government zoo up to two male nonvenomous snakes. |
| The lawBillboards | What it saysNo one may put up or use a billboard or other outdoor advertising, except the short list of signs the section allows, such as official notices and a business's own sign. |
| The lawUsed bee gear | What it saysLive or dead honey bees, and used beekeeping equipment, may not be brought in unless certified pest free, though bee semen may. |
Many laws that sound strange are county ordinances rather than state law; this page covers only the Revised Statutes. Whether a particular act broke one of these sections is a question for a licensed Hawaii attorney.
Sources for this section (2)
- HRS 150A-6 — Soil, plants, animals, etc., importation or possession prohibited
- HRS 445-112 — Where and when permitted
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of October 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Hawaii attorney.