Question: My son, after graduating, decided to take a gap year to tour the mainland. We had given him a used car registered in Hawaii for graduation, which we shipped to the mainland for his travels. While he was traveling his Hawaii safety check expired while he was in North Carolina. He had the car inspected and passed the North Carolina safety check. Now his Hawaii vehicle registration is set to expire at the end of September. He provided proof of the passed inspection from North Carolina, but Hawaii DMV denied his renewal without a Hawaii safety check. He still has several states to visit and had not planned on returning home to Hawaii for another few months. Surely they don’t expect him to ship the car back to Hawaii for a safety check. Why isn’t the safety check performed in North Carolina accepted?
Answer: No, he doesn’t have to ship the car back. He should be able to renew the car’s registration by mail if he also submits a Form CS-L (MVR) 64 certifying that he is temporarily using the car out of state, said Sheri Kajiwara, director of the city Department of Customer Services.
Download the special form at 808ne.ws/reg; it must be signed by the registered owner. If your son owns the car, he would fill it out. If you loaned him the car — as do some Hawaii parents whose children attend college elsewhere — you would fill it out. Simply follow the directions on the form.
Here is Kajiwara’s full response:
“To start, it’s important to note that safety check standards vary from state to state depending on local laws. We require a safety check to be performed in compliance with Hawaii standards and stations pass certification in order to perform our safety checks.
“But here is the good news for those traveling temporary out of state: An out of state vehicle may continue to be registered with us by mail provided that a completed CSL-L 64, resident declaration form (available on the city website under ‘online forms’) is submitted. The owner submits the registration form, the resident form 64, and a check made payable to the City and County of Honolulu for the amount due.
“We recommend that the owner check with the state DMV where he is located in to see if they will honor Hawaii plates and registration while he and the vehicle are located in their jurisdiction.”
Q: When, where and at what time will the next pro-TMT rally will be held on Oahu?
A: A rally is being planned for Sept. 12 at the state Capitol at 5 p.m., said Sam King, who helps organize support for construction of the planned Thirty Meter Telescope atop Mauna Kea on the island of Hawaii.
Opponents have thwarted construction, which had been scheduled to begin in July, by blocking Mauna Kea Access Road.
Auwe
In my walks around town, I’ve noticed a relative dearth of plastic water bottle litter, since people can recycle them for 5 cents a bottle. But there is a lot of plastic bottle cap litter, since there is no incentive for people to turn them in. Why can’t the state and recycling companies offer a penny a cap for each one returned? That should keep people from littering the streets. Auwe. — E.K.
Mahalo
On Aug. 25, as my wife and I were driving to town from Aiea, I had a flat that forced me to pull over to the side and park on a shoulder lane. While we were waiting for a service truck to arrive, a good Samaritan, named Maria Del Campo, stopped to give assistance. I explained that help was coming, but she said she was used to changing tires and proceeded to do it! She finished just when the service truck arrived, and I waved it off. We were very grateful for her help and were able to go on our way safely. Many thanks, Maria! — Grateful 90-year-old seniors
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