The Reason Roadside Billboards Are Illegal In Hawaii

There are few things more beautiful than taking a Hawaiian road trip, like following the famous Road to Hāna on Maui, full of twists, turns, and waterfall charm. You can also explore Saddle Road on the Big Island or simply rent a car and drive around with the Shaka Guide app that acts as a Hawaiian tour guide. Your eyes will be treated to sights of majestic volcanoes, lush greenery, sandy beaches, and the glittering ocean. However, you won't see any billboards. In fact, it's the law in Hawaii that there are no billboards to mar the stunning scenery of this gorgeous place. It all goes back to a group called the Outdoor Circle, a non-profit organization that began in 1912 and is still active (they're also responsible for planting some of the breathtakingly large trees in Hawaii).

The organization was started by a group of women who wanted to keep their neighborhood green and beautiful, free of large, ugly ads on buildings or in their town. Winston Welch, the executive director for the Outdoor Circle, tells KHON2.com, "These ladies got together and said, we're going to start a boycott of the stores that carry the products that were advertised on the billboards." The law was passed in 1926 and went into effect in 1927.

In addition to billboards, the state of Hawaii also bans off-site advertising. That means there are no ads on public property — imagine no corporate logos on stadiums and the like. That's quite a difference from driving down the freeway in Los Angeles and seeing endless billboards for accident lawyers and movies or passing Las Vegas streets, where ads for casinos, shows, and restaurants assault your eyes every few feet. However, the proposed Senate Bill 583 is trying to change this rule, allowing corporate naming rights for things like public buildings in Hawaii. The Outdoor Circle is currently fighting it in addition to their work as caretakers for places like parks and gardens. 

Banning billboards and off-site advertising isn't the only way that the state of Hawaii works to preserve its beauty. Some cities in Hawaii don't allow McDonald's to have their traditional red roof and golden arches. For instance, the McDonald's in Kaneohe has a green roof to match the other stores in the area. Hawaiian McDonald's eateries are worth checking out anyway, as they often have food items that we don't get in the rest of the country. Heck, you could take a billboard-free spin around each island while stopping for some road trip fare at the local McDonald's!