Hilo driver license office moves to Pauahi Street May 11

Hilo residents who need a driver license, state ID, or road test should avoid the old Kapiolani Street office after Friday, May 8. The County of Hawaii said the Hilo Driver License Office will reopen at 8 a.m. Monday, May 11, at 120 Pauahi St., in the former Bank of Hawaii branch on the first floor.

The move takes the office out of the Hawaii Public Safety Building at 349 Kapiolani St. and into the Kaiko‘o Office Building. County officials said the relocation is part of a broader effort to consolidate Hilo driver licensing and motor vehicle registration services into one convenient location. For anyone trying to handle multiple errands in one trip, that means the most important change is simple: the old site will be closed, and the new site will be on Pauahi Street starting May 11.

The shift matters because the Hilo Driver License Office handles a wide range of transactions that many Big Island residents still do in person. Services listed by the county include driver’s license renewal, duplicates, out-of-state transfers, instruction permits, written tests, road tests by appointment, financial responsibility transactions, commercial driver’s license renewals and testing, taxi written tests and inspections, and state identification card issuance. The office can be reached at (808) 961-2223.

The county’s vehicle registration office is already nearby at 101 Pauahi St., Suite 5, and the Motor Vehicle Registration Office can be reached at (808) 961-8351. County pages say some walk-in service is available on a standby basis, but certain transactions, including new vehicle registration from out of state, are processed only during specified hours. Big Island Now reported that the registration office is across the street from the new license office location and will move later to 120 Pauahi St. as well.

Road test policy is another detail residents should check before heading over. The county says an in-office appointment is required to schedule a skills test appointment, and a $50 non-refundable road test fee is required. That makes the timing of the move especially important for anyone planning a permit, renewal, or driving test next week. The easiest way to avoid a wasted trip is to remember that the Hilo Driver License Office will be closed Friday, May 8, then back in service Monday morning at 120 Pauahi St.