Haw. Rev. Stat. § 143-2

This is the official text of Haw. Rev. Stat. § 143-2, part of Hawaii’s Rev. Stat — part of the compiled statutory law of Hawaii, published by the state as "Rev. Stat." Browse the sections below, each linked to its official government source.

Not legal advice. This page reproduces the official text of a government statute for reference only. Laws change, and how a statute applies depends on your specific facts. For advice about your situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state.

License or microchip required.

Official statutory text

It shall be unlawful for any person to own or harbor a:

(1) Dog unless the dog is licensed and has been implanted with a microchip identification as provided by this chapter; provided that the counties may, by ordinance, dispense with or modify the licensing requirements of this chapter; provided further that this chapter shall not apply to dogs under the age of three months or dogs brought into the State exclusively for the purpose of entering them in a dog show or exhibition and not allowed to run at large; or

(2) Cat unless the cat has been implanted with a microchip identification as provided by this chapter; provided that this chapter shall not apply to cats under the age of three months or cats brought into the State exclusively for the purpose of entering them in a cat show or exhibition and not allowed to run at large. [L 1941, c 268, §2; RL 1945, §7152; RL 1955, §156-2; HRS §143-2; am L 1973, c 146, §1; am L Sp 2021, c 5, §4]

Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site

Need a lawyer in Hawaii?

Find a Hawaii lawyer
About this page: Statute text is reproduced from official government publishers via the Open US Law dataset (Vaquill AI, snapshot v2026.08, CC BY 4.0). Primary legislative text like this is public domain under the government-edicts doctrine (Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). We link every section back to its official source so you can verify it independently.