HAR §18-237D-4-12. Written warning for first violation under section 237D-4(d), HRS

(a) In lieu of issuing a person a first citation and fine for failure to display under section 18-237D-4-11(c)(1), the department shall issue the violator a written warning if the person has never before received a written warning for any violation for any transient accommodation under section 18-237D-4-11(c)(1). (b) Only one written warning in lieu of a first violation and fine under subsection (a) may be issued per person. For any subsequent first violations the person may commit under section 18-237D-4-11(c)(1), the department shall issue a citation with a fine. (c) For purposes of this section, a written warning shall contain: (1) The name and address of the violator; (2) The specific alleged violation or violations of title 14, HRS, or the administrative rules adopted thereunder; (3) The address of the transient accommodation, if possible; (4) A description of the advertisement where the transient accommodation is advertised. The advertisement shall be described to the best of the department’s ability and may include such information as the name and date of the publication, the website address or any other description sufficient for a reasonable person to locate the advertisement; and (5) A statement that the violator may be cited under section 18-237D-4-13 beginning fifteen days after the written warning’s date of issuance for any violation related to this or any other transient accommodation, including any violations related to other transient accommodations operated by the violator the department subsequently discovers during the fifteen-day period. (d) The department shall keep a record of all written warnings issued. (e) A written warning shall be served by: (1) Personal service on the respondent, respondent’s officer or director, or respondent’s registered agent for service of process as shown in the records of the department of commerce and consumer affairs; (2) Certified mail, restricted delivery, sent to the respondent’s last known business or residence address or the address of respondent’s registered agent for service as shown in the records of the department of commerce and consumer affairs; or (3) Publication at least once in each of two successive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation if service by certified mail is not made because of refusal to accept service or because the department has been unable to ascertain the address necessary for service under paragraph (2) after reasonable and diligent inquiry. Publication shall consist solely of the respondent’s name and a statement that the respondent is being served its written warning by the publication and has fifteen days from the date of service to cure its violation. No return information or other personal or confidential information shall be disclosed in the publication. If the written warning is served by certified mail under subsection (e)(2), the date of service of the written warning is the date the written warning was delivered. If the written warning is served by publication under subsection (e)(3), the date of service of the written warning is the last date of publication in the second successive week. (f) If, during the fifteen-day period described under subsection (c)(5), the department discovers another transient accommodation operated by the violator for which a citation for a first violation may be issued, the department shall not issue such citation until the fifteen-day period has elapsed; provided that if the violator does not cure all of its violations during the fifteen-day period provided by the written warning, the department shall issue citations for all transient accommodations in violation after the expiration for all days during which they were in violation pursuant to section 18-237D-4-11. Example 1. Operator LLC owns one condominium unit which it operates as a transient accommodation. Operator LLC submits its unit to TAbroker.com, a website which displays a searchable database of units for rent. The department discovers that the listing for Operator LLC’s unit does not display Operator LLC’s registration identification number, nor is there an electronic link leading to the number. The department reviews its records and sees that it has never issued a warning or a citation to Operator LLC. The department shall issue a written warning to Operator HRS §237D-4 TRANSIENT ACCOMMODATIONS TAX §18-237D-4-13 237D- 19 (Unofficial Compilation as of 12/31/2025) LLC under section 18-237D-4-12. [Eff 2/3/19] (Auth: HRS §§231-3(9), 237D-16(b)) (Imp: HRS §237D-4)