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State guides / Hawaii

Hawaii property data

Hawaii is a little different. Hawaii has no city or town governments below the counties, and Honolulu is a combined City and County. Kalawao County has no county government and is run by the state, so property work happens in the other four counties. Deeds are recorded by the state, not the counties. Here's what's public, what's hard to get, and what Deedplat puts on one map.

  • 5Counties
  • PublicSale prices
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What you can get in Hawaii

Hawaii makes most property records public, including what each property sold for. The catch is that every county keeps them differently.

Public everywhere

Every county has these, and Deedplat loads them all.

  • Owners and mailing addressesFrom the real Property Assessment Division of each county
  • Sale pricesHawaii is a disclosure state: conveyance tax is paid on the sale price when a deed is recorded, and county assessment records show sale prices.
  • Deeds and mortgagesState Bureau of Conveyances (part of the Department of Land and Natural Resources), which runs both the Regular System and the Land Court system
  • Assessed valuesEach county values property every year.
  • Tax salesRun county by county
  • Foreclosure filings and salesFiled in court, so they're public early
  • Lot linesCounty parcel maps

Depends on the town

With no city or town governments, building permits, code cases and other local records are kept by the four counties and are open under the Uniform Information Practices Act.

  • Code violations and condemnations
  • Building permits
  • Rental registration and inspections
  • Zoning maps and ordinances
  • Water and sewer liens

Not public

What no office will hand over, so you know where the line is.

  • Owner phone numbers and emails
  • Rents and leases
  • Active listingsThose live in the MLS
  • Mortgage balancesThe original loan amount is recorded; what's left is not

How property changes hands here

Distressed property reaches the market through a few channels, and they differ by county.

Redeemable deeds

Property taxes are a county tax in Hawaii, so each county runs its own tax sale under its own code. The county auctions the property and the high bidder gets a tax deed with no warranties, much like a quitclaim deed. The owner can redeem within one year of the sale by paying the buyer's price, costs and interest of 12 percent a year.

Foreclosure goes through the courts

Hawaii law allows both court and non-judicial foreclosure, but since a 2011 law (Act 48) made the non-judicial route harder and Fannie Mae moved its cases to court, most home foreclosures go through court and end in a court-ordered public sale. About 1,000 judicial foreclosure cases are filed each year.

Land banks

Hawaii has no state law that sets up land banks.

Transfer tax

Hawaii charges a state conveyance tax with rates that rise with the price, and buyers who will not live in the home pay higher rates. For owner-occupants the top rate is $1 per $100 on sales of $10 million or more.

Worth knowing

Hawaii has two recording systems. Land Court property has a state-certified title and is handled differently from Regular System property, so check which system a parcel is in before you buy.

Worth knowing

Much of Hawaii's housing, especially older condos, sits on leasehold land, where the buyer owns the building or unit but leases the land. The lease terms can matter as much as the price.

Every county in Hawaii

Choose any county to get started.

Questions

Are property sale prices public in Hawaii?

Yes. Hawaii is a disclosure state. Conveyance tax is paid on the price at recording, and county assessment records show what properties sold for.

How do tax sales work in Hawaii?

Each county runs its own tax sale. The county auctions the property and the buyer gets a tax deed with no warranties. The owner can redeem within one year by paying the price, costs and 12 percent yearly interest.

Where are deeds and mortgages recorded in Hawaii?

With the state Bureau of Conveyances in Honolulu, which records documents for every island. Land Court property is registered in a separate system run by the same office.

How often are Hawaii properties reassessed?

Every year. Each county's Real Property Assessment Division sets values and sends assessment notices.

Is foreclosure judicial in Hawaii?

Usually yes. Non-judicial foreclosure is still allowed, but most home foreclosures have gone through court since a 2011 law made the non-judicial route harder.

Can I get records Deedplat doesn't have?

Yes. Hawaii's Uniform Information Practices Act lets anyone request records from the state and the counties, such as permits and code cases. We file those requests for you, clean up the results and add them to your map.

Sources for this guide

Laws and fees change. We checked these sources in October 2026; confirm with the county before you act.

Every parcel, on one map

Deedplat is in beta. Pick any Hawaii county to get started.

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