State to Automate Payments at Makai Garage

HONOLULU - An effort by the State Department of Accounting and General Services (DAGS)Automotive Management Division (AMD) to automate payments at another one of its parking garages will affect hundreds of drivers. Starting September 23, 2026 the Makai Garage Lot A will only accept automated payments. AMD encourages drivers to plan ahead.

This 77-stall public lot is at 530 Halekauwila Street at the corner of Punchbowl and Halekauwila Streets in the Capitol District. It's near several state buildings: Kaʻahumanu Hale (First Circuit Court), the Department of Taxation, the Department of Transportation and the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations. It's also kitty corner from the federal building that houses the US District Court and the Social Security Administration Honolulu.

The affected parties will include lawyers, prosecutors, jurors, witnesses, drivers with a parking placard (like media) and the general public, particularly those with business at the aforementioned buildings. State workers who have parking permits in this lot will not be affected.

This is the second garage DAGS is modernizing. DAGS started at the South Street garage just over a year ago and determined that to be a success. "Automated pay stations allow DAGS to efficiently use state resources. The two staff who work at Makai Garage Lot A will be reassigned to other duties to better serve the public," says Acting Lieutenant Governor Keith Regan, who is also the DAGS director and state comptroller.

AMD Administrator Michael Arakaki adds, "The attendants who used to staff the cashier booth can now do parking patrol, which will enhance the safety of the garage, the vehicles parked in it and the drivers and passengers."

The lot is open 10 hours a day, weekdays from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Not everyone uses their stall for a full day, so Arakaki estimates 200 people park at that lot on a busy day.

The parking process is different based on who is parking there. There are five different kinds of parking placards or permits, requiring the driver to use either a magnetic stripe card or a validation card when parking.

To get those, placard or permit holders need to file a request with AMD. It may take seven to 14 days to process the request and have the magnetic stripe or validation card ready for pickup.

AMD created educational videos on the various types of payment procedures at https://ags.hawaii.gov/automotive-management/parking-control-branch/parking-control-branch-forms-links /.

In short, public and agency visitors who drive in will have to pull a ticket at the gate. Placard or permit holders still need to display those. Before leaving, they will have to visit the pay station near the first-floor elevators.

Jurors follow a slightly different procedure, as outlined here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XwkzbewY8o.

After checking out (and paying, if applicable), everyone will insert their exit ticket into the machine at the gate.

AMD will have attendants on hand for the first two months to help transition customers.

AMD hopes to add automated pay stations at all 33 DAGS parking lots across the state, funding permitting.