Kauaʻi commercial drivers and their employers will receive temporary relief from some licensing and record-review requirements under a federal waiver issued Thursday as the island’s driver’s license services remain disrupted following the Sept. 9 fire at the Kapule Building.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s three-month waiver allows the state and Kauaʻi County Division of Motor Vehicles to extend commercial driver’s licenses and commercial learner’s permits that expired or came due for renewal on or after Sept. 9.
The waiver also provides an exemption for motor carriers that were unable to complete required annual motor vehicle record reviews because of the DMV closure.
The waiver took effect on Sept. 9 and remains in effect until 11:59 p.m. on Dec. 8, 2026, or 14 days after Kauaʻi DMV services are restored, whichever occurs first.
Under the waiver:
Commercial driver’s licenses and commercial learner’s permits that came due for renewal on or after Sept. 9 may be extended through the waiver period.
Commercial learner’s permit holders will not have to retake required knowledge tests.
Non-domiciled CDLs and CLPs may also be extended, although additional documentation may be required. Drivers should contact the DMV for further details.
Motor carriers that could not complete an annual review of a driver’s motor vehicle record because of the closure are covered automatically and do not need to take action.
The waiver does not apply to drivers whose commercial driving privileges are suspended or disqualified, those subject to a federal imminent hazard order, drivers prohibited from safety-sensitive duties under federal drug and alcohol regulations, or drivers who do not have a valid medical examiner’s certificate.
The DMV said regular driver’s license and state identification card transactions remain unavailable on Kauaʻi because the county’s connection to the state mainframe has not yet been restored.
Officials have not announced a date to restore those services.
They also noted that residents do not need to travel to another island to seek assistance.
DMV staff can be reached at 808-241-1949 and are available at a mobile trailer in the Līhuʻe Civic Center parking lot and at the Kapaʻa Armory on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Separately, Gov. Josh Green’s Sept. 22 supplemental emergency proclamation gives residents additional time to renew expired driver’s licenses, permits and state IDs if the DMV closure prevented them from doing so.
Those residents will not be penalized through Nov. 21, 2026.
The extension does not apply to credentials that were suspended, revoked, or otherwise invalid for reasons unrelated to the outage. Vehicle registration renewals remain available online and at community kiosks in Hanapēpē, Līhuʻe, Kapaʻa and Princeville.
Questions about the federal waiver can be directed to the FMCSA Commercial Driver’s License Division at 202-236-9649 or carlos.dequina@dot.gov.
For DMV assistance, residents can contact the Kauaʻi Division of Motor Vehicles at 808-241-1949 or kauaidmv@kauai.gov. Or through the countyʻs website by clicking here.
