Hawaii Engine & Jake Brake Rules

How Hawaii handles engine braking

Hawaii has no statewide engine-brake ban and essentially no 'no engine brake' sign culture. The legal hook is the muffler statute (HRS 291-24.5): you cannot run a muffler that noticeably raises noise above factory level. Fines run up to $100 on a first offense, $300 on a second within three years, and $900 on a third or later within five years, raised by Act 171 in 2024. Heavy trucking and long grades are limited, so posted zones are rare. Use your engine brake normally on grades like Saddle Road or the Maui descents where nothing is posted.

What to watch for

• Ban scope: None
• Where posted & enforced: Essentially no 'no engine brake' sign culture. Heavy trucking and long sustained grades are limited across the islands, so posted engine-brake zones are rare to nonexistent. The state muffler statute is the only real legal hook. On grades like the Big Island's Saddle Road or the Maui descents you will not typically face a posted engine-brake restriction.
• Muffler / noise law: Yes, the real legal hook
• Fine: Up to $100 for a first muffler violation, $300 for a second within three years, and $900 for a third or later within five years (HRS 291-24.5, as amended by Act 171 of 2024). No separate engine-brake fine in practice.

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