If you park at Ala Wai Small Boat Harbor, the showdown over towing just took a turn that many harbor users will not like.
On June 26, 2026, the state Board of Land and Natural Resources denied a request for a contested-case hearing from residents who say towing at the harbor has been excessive and opaque. The decision keeps the state’s current contract enforcement system in place, even as critics and harbor users continue to call for a ticket-first approach and clearer parking signs.
In its written denial, the board said the petition filed by Kate Thompson did not establish a constitutionally protected property interest that would entitle her to a contested-case hearing. The board recorded the vote as a denial with one abstention. A denial memo from DLNR lays out the legal test the board applied and explains why the requested post-tow procedures do not meet that standard.
What Secure Parking’s Camera Car Plan Would Do
Last September the department proposed renewing Secure Parking LLC’s service arrangement, built around a pilot license-plate-reader “camera car” that would patrol the harbor, print on-site warnings and tow repeat offenders after notice. As reported by Aloha State Daily, critics argue the package effectively cements a “towing-first” approach. The submittal lists roughly $15,316 per month in monitoring fees tied to the program.
Tows Far Outnumber Tickets
Documents filed with the board show just how lopsided enforcement has been. Honolulu Police Department tow records and DOBOR/DOCARE logs submitted as exhibits report 2,586 vehicles towed from the harbor in 2025 and 2,512 in 2024, while DOCARE issued only 25 parking citations in 2025 and four in 2024. Those numbers, drawn from testimony and exhibits in the BLNR record, were central to the petitioners’ case. A testimony packet from DLNR contains the detailed records submitted to the board.
Residents Say Warnings Will Not Fix Tow Pain
Local users and harbor permit holders told the board that printed warnings may look kinder on paper but do not touch the real hit, which is the cost of an immediate tow. In written testimony, Douglas Meller argued that “a warning carries no financial consequence” and said the first monetary penalty at Ala Wai is still a $165 tow, not a modest citation. That criticism was reported by Aloha State Daily.
Thompson, who assembled HPD tow data for the record, told local TV she plans to keep pressing for policy change and questioned whether the camera car will improve outcomes for everyday harbor users, as covered by Hawaii News Now.
What Comes Next For Ala Wai Drivers
With BLNR shutting the door on a contested-case hearing, petitioners still have other levers to pull, including seeking judicial review, pursuing rulemaking or pushing for legislative fixes that would create a ticket-first enforcement path and require transparent tow reporting. The record the board reviewed also points to recent legislative attention to harbor parking and to DLNR’s use of license-plate-reader systems in enforcement planning, developments that could shape the next round of oversight and policy talks.
For now, Secure Parking remains the state’s contractor at Ala Wai, and DOBOR keeps authority to manage enforcement within the existing legal framework. Drivers who misread a sign or linger too long in the wrong stall are still far more likely to find their car gone than to come back to a simple ticket on the windshield.
