Trapping Laws in Hawaii: What’s Banned, What’s Allowed, and Penalties
October 31, 2026
Trapping laws in Hawaii work very differently from those on the mainland. There is no fur-trapping season, no trapper education course, and no pelt-tagging system, because the state has effectively shut down recreational and commercial fur trapping. What remains is a patchwork of narrow exceptions for pest control, government animal-control programs, and aquatic gear.
If you came here expecting a list of furbearer seasons, the short answer is that Hawaii doesn’t have one. This article explains what the law does say, where the gaps and exceptions are, and how to avoid a misdemeanor charge if you deal with nuisance animals on your property.
This article is general information, not legal advice. Check the current Hawaii Revised Statutes and contact the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) before setting any trap.
Is Trapping Legal in Hawaii
For the kind of trapping most mainland hunters mean, no. According to one national hunting retailer’s Hawaii guide, trapping is generally prohibited in Hawaii under animal cruelty laws. The statute behind that is Hawaii Revised Statutes § 711-1109.37, which creates the offense of cruelty to animals by trapping.
Under the text published by FindLaw, a person commits the offense if they intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly use, set, or maintain a steel-jawed leg-hold trap, among other devices covered in the full statute. The law also defines Conibear traps, padded foot-hold traps and snares, so you should read the whole section rather than relying on summaries.
That said, “generally prohibited” is not the same as “nothing is allowed.” Small-animal control, government wildlife management, and fishing traps all operate under separate rules, covered below.
Key Insight: Hawaii has no recreational furbearer trapping tradition to regulate. Its native land mammal is the hoary bat, and most of the animals people want to trap, such as mongoose, rats, feral cats and feral pigs, are introduced species handled under pest-control or game-management rules.
Trapping License and Education Requirements in Hawaii
Hawaii does not issue a general trapping license or require a trapper education course. Since fur trapping is not an authorized activity, there is no license class to apply for and no state-run certification to complete.
Permits do exist for specific purposes. Under Hawaii Administrative Rules Chapter 13-124, the Board of Land and Natural Resources can issue permits for damage control. According to the rule text on the DLNR site, a permit states the species and may specify the number to be destroyed and the method of control, and an authorized agent must first confirm that substantial damage has occurred or is likely.
A hunting license is a separate matter. You must hold a hunting license to hunt legally in Hawaii, and you must be ten years old to get one. That license covers hunting, not trapping. For hunting rules, see our guide to hunting laws in Hawaii.
Trapping Seasons and Legal Furbearer Species in Hawaii
Hawaii has no trapping seasons and no legal furbearer list. Species like raccoon, beaver, fox and bobcat do not live in the islands, and the state has no framework for harvesting animals for fur. Even for animals that are absent, such as coyotes, the state has no season or permit structure, as covered in our piece on coyote hunting laws in Hawaii.
The animals you are most likely to meet are introduced pests. The Maui Invasive Species Committee notes that it is illegal to introduce, transport, keep or breed mongoose without a Hawaii Department of Agriculture permit, but small animal traps can be used for control. That is a control allowance, not a harvest season.
Game mammals such as feral pigs, goats and black-tailed deer are managed through hunting units with their own seasons and bag limits. A DLNR hunting rules document lists, for example, year-round feral pig hunting in Unit B with a limit of one pig per hunter per day. Those seasons apply to hunting with firearms, muzzleloaders or archery, not to setting traps.
Legal Trap Types and Restrictions in Hawaii
The trapping statute draws a hard line around the devices most associated with fur trapping. The table below summarizes the definitions in HRS § 711-1109.37 as published by FindLaw.
| Device | How the Statute Describes It |
|---|---|
| Steel-jawed leg-hold trap | A spring-powered device that holds an animal’s limb using fixed-mount jaws |
| Foot- or leg-hold trap (padded or off-set) | A metal device that is off-set, padded or laminated and holds an animal by a foot or limb |
| Conibear trap | A device designed to kill by crushing the body or severing the spinal cord; snap traps used for rodent control are excluded |
| Snare | A noose, of any material, that captures, kills or holds an animal by a foot, limb or neck |
One carve-out is written into the definitions. The Conibear definition does not include snap traps used for rodent control, so ordinary mouse and rat traps in your home or shed are not the target of the law. Review the full statute for any other exemptions before relying on this summary.
Aquatic traps follow different rules. According to the DLNR Division of Aquatic Resources fishing regulations, fish traps must meet minimum mesh sizes (2-inch stretched netting) and be portable, no larger than 10 feet long or 6 feet high or wide. You can read the full text in the DAR fishing regulations, which are presented as a guide and not as a legal document.
Important Note: Cage-style live traps for mongoose, rats or feral cats are not named in the statute’s list of banned devices. Still, the rules for handling, transporting and releasing captured animals vary, so confirm the details with the Hawaii Department of Agriculture or DLNR before you set one.
Trap Check Requirements in Hawaii
I found no statewide trap-check interval for land traps in Hawaii. That makes sense: with the banned devices off the table, the state has not written the kind of 24- or 36-hour visit schedule you see in mainland trapping regulations.
Where Hawaii does set timing, it is for aquatic gear. The DAR guide says the total soak time for a bullpen trap may not exceed 16 hours, and it also sets rules on how lay nets must be inspected during a set.
For any live trap you do use, treat daily checks as the practical standard. Animal cruelty provisions still apply, and leaving a captured animal without food, water or shade in Hawaii’s heat invites separate cruelty exposure.
Where You Can and Can’t Trap in Hawaii
Where you trap depends on who owns the land and what you are trying to catch. On public land, animal control is done by the state itself. For example, DLNR’s Division of Forestry and Wildlife has announced animal control activities including trapping of mouflon and feral sheep hybrids within the Mauna Kea Forest Reserve and the Kaohe Game Management Area, with temporary closures to the public.
Military installations are stricter still. A Hawaii National Guard policy states that capturing and trapping of stray or feral animals is done by the Guard’s environmental pest management team or a licensed contractor, and tampering with traps is prohibited. Never disturb a trap you find on public or government land.
On your own property, your options are limited to small-animal control and the use of non-banned devices. If your problem is feral cats, see our guides to feral cat laws in Hawaii and outdoor cat laws in Hawaii, because trapping a neighbor’s pet can create legal trouble of its own. For larger problems, our overview of wildlife removal laws in Hawaii explains when to call a licensed professional.
Water access matters too. DAR rules prohibit traps in several areas, including the Hilo Bay, Wailoa River and Wailuku River area, and within 50 yards of the Waimea Recreational Pier on Kauaʻi. If you want to harvest fish by other methods, our bowfishing laws in Hawaii guide covers an alternative.
Tagging, Reporting and Selling Pelts in Hawaii
Because fur trapping is not authorized, Hawaii has no pelt tagging program, no harvest reporting form for trappers, and no licensed fur-buyer system. There is nothing to tag, and there is no lawful pelt market built on trapped furbearers.
Wildlife trade is also restricted more broadly. Under Chapter 13-124, no person may catch, possess, injure, kill, sell, offer for sale or transport protected indigenous species or their dead bodies or skins without a permit. Selling parts of protected wildlife without authorization is a separate violation from any trapping offense.
If you remove an animal under a damage-control permit, the permit itself sets what happens next. According to the rule text, permits state the species, the method of control, the maximum number to be taken and what happens to the animals destroyed or taken. Follow those terms exactly, and keep a copy of the permit with you.
Roadkill is a related question. Our explainer on roadkill laws in Hawaii covers what you may and may not do with an animal you find dead.
Penalties for Trapping Violations in Hawaii
The penalty for the core trapping offense is stated plainly in the statute: cruelty to animals by trapping is a misdemeanor. In Hawaii, a misdemeanor conviction can carry up to a year in jail and a fine, and the court can add other conditions. Check the current penal code, or ask an attorney, for the exact range that applies to your case.
Other violations stack on top. Selling or moving protected wildlife without a permit breaks the DLNR wildlife rules, and moving live mongoose or other injurious species between islands can violate Department of Agriculture rules. Marine and fishing violations are enforced under separate DLNR regulations.
Federal law may also apply if a protected species is involved, since Hawaii hosts many endangered birds, bats and marine animals. For that reason, the safest approach is to stay on the side of the law:
- Do not use leg-hold traps, Conibear traps or snares of any kind.
- Get a written permit from DLNR or the Hawaii Department of Agriculture before any damage-control trapping beyond basic rodent traps.
- Never touch traps on state, military or private land that are not yours.
- Release or hand off captured non-target animals as instructed by the authority that permitted you.
- Call a licensed wildlife control professional when the animal is large, protected or unidentified.
Pro Tip: Before you buy any trap in Hawaii, call your local DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife office and describe the animal and location. Get the answer in writing, and keep it with your gear.
If you are weighing other animal-related rules in the state, you may also want to read about right to farm laws in Hawaii and pet import laws in Hawaii, both of which touch on pest and animal control.