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Hawaii GPS Tracking Laws: Is It Legal to Put a Tracker on a Car? (2026)

Independently fact-checked against primary sources (last audited June 17, 2026). · Law checked current as of August 9, 2026. How we verify our legal content

Hawaii GPS Tracking Laws: Is It Legal to Put a Tracker on a Car? (2026)

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it illegal to put a GPS tracker on someone's car in Hawaii?

Yes. Under HRS 803-42(a)(8), intentionally installing or using a mobile tracking device without a search warrant or court order is a Class C felony, unless the owner of the property the device is installed on consents. The maximum penalty is an indeterminate five-year prison term and a $10,000 fine.

Can I put a GPS tracker on my spouse's car in Hawaii?

Only if you are an owner of that car. If the vehicle is jointly titled, your consent as a co-owner generally covers the install. If the car is titled solely in your spouse's name, hiding a tracker on it is the exact conduct Hawaii's felony statute prohibits, and divorce suspicion is not a defense.

Can parents track their child's car in Hawaii?

Parents can track a vehicle the parent owns, because the owner-consent exception applies. Hawaii's statute contains no general parent exception, so tracking property the parent does not own, like an adult child's own car, is not authorized.

Are AirTags illegal in Hawaii?

Owning and using an AirTag to track your own keys or luggage is legal. Planting one on another person or their belongings without consent falls under the same Class C felony as a hidden GPS unit, and a repeated pattern can also be charged as harassment by stalking under HRS 711-1106.5.

Did Hawaii pass a new AirTag stalking law in 2024?

No. HB2014 (2024) would have created a specific misdemeanor for harassing someone with a location tracker, but it died in the House Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs Committee without a hearing after its January 24, 2024 referral. The existing felony under HRS 803-42(a)(8) remains the controlling law.

Can my employer GPS track me in Hawaii?

An employer can track vehicles it owns, including the company car you drive, because owner consent satisfies the statute. Tracking your personally owned vehicle without your consent would violate HRS 803-42(a)(8). Hawaii has no statute requiring advance notice of tracking on company vehicles, but HRS 378-102 does make it an unlawful practice to require you to download a location-tracking app to your personal phone as a condition of employment, or to retaliate against you for refusing, unless you consent or the device is employer-owned.

Can a private investigator put a tracker on a car in Hawaii?

No. Hawaii's statute has no private investigator exception. A PI who installs a tracker on a vehicle without the owner's consent commits the same Class C felony as anyone else, and the client who directs it can face accomplice liability.

Do Hawaii police need a warrant to GPS track my car?

Yes. HRS 803-44.7 requires police to obtain a search warrant or court order from a designated judge based on probable cause, and orders are capped at 60 days unless extended on a new probable cause showing. The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in United States v. Jones also makes warrantless GPS attachment a Fourth Amendment search.

Updates

Corrected the employer section to cover HRS 378-102, which makes it unlawful to require a location-tracking app on an employee personal phone, and replaced the open question about the HRS 803-48 civil remedy with the controlling statutory text excluding tracking-device data.

Governing law re-checked for recent changes

Independently fact-checked against the cited primary sources

Sources and References

  1. HRS 803-42 - Interception prohibited; mobile tracking devices (Class C felony)(capitol.hawaii.gov)
  2. HRS 803-41 - Definitions (tracking device)(capitol.hawaii.gov)
  3. HRS 803-44.7 - Application for authorization to install and use a mobile tracking device(capitol.hawaii.gov)
  4. HRS 711-1106.5 - Harassment by stalking(capitol.hawaii.gov)
  5. HB2014 (2024) - Location tracker harassment bill, measure status(capitol.hawaii.gov)
  6. 18 U.S.C. 2261A - Stalking(law.cornell.edu)
  7. United States v. Jones, 565 U.S. 400 (2012)(law.cornell.edu)
  8. HRS 378-102 - Unlawful practices (employer location-tracking apps on personal devices)(capitol.hawaii.gov)
  9. HRS 378-103 - Exception (employee consent; employer-owned devices)(capitol.hawaii.gov)
  10. HRS 803-48 - Recovery of civil damages authorized(capitol.hawaii.gov)
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