Hawaii Redeemable Tax Deed Sales
Hawaii sells redeemable deeds the owner can buy back with a statutory penalty under ROH 8-5.2. Tax Sale Atlas holds the sale calendar, auction platform and list locations for all 4 Hawaii counties, each read from the county’s own official pages and checked against the statute on Sep 27, 2026.
Hawaii sells redeemable deeds, not tax lien certificates, and each of the four counties runs its own sale under its own code. Read more…
Once a real property tax lien has existed long enough (three years in Honolulu, Maui and Kauai, where the sale then becomes mandatory; two years in Hawaii County, where it remains discretionary), the county finance director may sell the parcel by foreclosure without suit at a public auction to the highest bidder for cash. The opening (upset) price is the delinquent tax, penalty, interest and sale costs, and the whole bid is paid at the auction. The director then delivers a tax deed that vests title in the purchaser at once, subject to the former owner's right to redeem within one year of the sale by paying the purchaser the amount paid, the costs the purchaser was required to pay including the deed recording fee, and interest at 12 percent a year. Sales are held in person; no county runs an online tax-sale platform.
Rules verified Sep 27, 2026 against Hawaii Statutes.
- Sale type
- Redeemable deed
- Maximum rate
- 12%
- Redemption
- 1 year after the sale
- Auction method
- premium bid
On this page
Tax deed sales
The deed process can lead to property ownership. Confirm the steps below, the interest conveyed, and the title and possession requirements for the parcel. If the parcels you are bidding on are vacant land rather than houses, see what buying land at a tax sale hands you.
Runs afterAny parcel carrying a real property tax lien may be sold by foreclosure without suit. More…
In Honolulu, Maui and Kauai, once any lien or part of one has existed for three years the director shall sell the parcel. In Hawaii County a parcel whose lien has existed for at least two years may be sold, with no mandatory sale. Before the sale the director publishes notice at least once a week for four successive weeks (in a statewide newspaper with a circulation of at least 60,000 plus a local paper; Kauai requires only a newspaper of general circulation in the county), mails notice by registered mail to the owner and to Land Court lienholders at least 45 days before the sale, and posts it in three conspicuous public places, one on the land if improved. Each county may instead foreclose the lien in its circuit court as an ordinary foreclosure.
Run byThe county director of finance (in Honolulu, the Director of Budget and Fiscal Services), or an authorized representative, runs each county's sale directly. More…
No state agency, law firm or outside auction contractor runs Hawaii tax sales, and no online platform is used. The Honolulu Star-Advertiser's state legal notices site carries sale notices for more than one county, so a sale date taken from it applies only to the county named in that notice.
DepositNo separate deposit: the whole bid is due at the sale. More…
Honolulu takes cashier's checks payable to the City and County of Honolulu. Maui takes only cashier's checks drawn on a U.S. bank, and active bidders must register and have funds verified at the event. Kauai takes cash, cashier's checks, certified checks or money orders drawn on a U.S. bank. Hawaii County takes cash, cashier's checks, traveler's checks, money orders or certified checks, with no registration. No county takes personal checks or cards, and an overage on a cashier's check comes back as a county credit memo or check.
Balance dueImmediately after the winning bid, in full. More…
Maui and Hawaii County state that bidders will not be allowed to leave the building to get payment. No county offers financing.
Surplus proceedsProceeds above the upset price are surplus, and the rules differ by county. More…
Hawaii County (19-45) and Kauai (5A-5.9): lienholders of record who file a claim within one year of the sale are paid in priority, any lien left unsatisfied is extinguished against the property and the purchaser, then remaining taxes are paid, then the former owner is paid on a claim filed within two years (Hawaii County) or one year (Kauai), and anything left goes to the county general fund. Honolulu (8-5.9) and Maui (3.48.285): the director pays all taxes owed by the taxpayer from the surplus and, where entitlement is in doubt, may refuse to distribute and require claimants to interplead in circuit court.
Confirm marketability and insurance requirements with a title professional. Budget any title-clearing work and delays before relying on a resale. See the due diligence guide, or check what survives a tax deed in Hawaii.
Redemption, delinquency, and over-the-counter at a glance
Redemption
How longThe former owner redeems by paying the purchaser directly; the counties take no part in it. More…
The clock runs from the sale, not from recording, except in Honolulu and Maui, where a deed not recorded within 60 days of the sale extends the window to one year from the day the deed is recorded, without further interest for the extension. Hawaii County advises buyers not to build during the year, since the former owner need not pay for improvements, and says a buyer may sell during the year only subject to the redemption right.
Delinquency
How it startsAll four counties bill on July 20 and collect in two equal installments due August 20 and February 20; an installment unpaid after its due date is delinquent. More…
Delinquent taxes draw a penalty (Honolulu: 2 percent a month to a maximum of 10 percent; Hawaii County: 10 percent; Maui and Kauai: up to 10 percent as the director determines) and interest of 1 percent a month on the taxes and penalty. Each year's tax is a paramount lien on the parcel that attaches July 1 and lasts six years, or until an enforcement proceeding begun within that period ends.
Over-the-counter
How to buyNo Hawaii county sells tax-sale parcels over the counter and none holds certificates for sale. More…
The codes provide only for postponing a sale for want of purchasers and abandoning the sale of a parcel that draws no sufficient bid; the lien stays with the county and the parcel can be offered at a later sale.
Governing statutes
All 4 Hawaii counties
Sales are organized by county. Search your city or county and compare the available sale details. Where deed-sale formats are listed, filter for online or in-person sales. Certificate platforms appear where that sale type is available.
Frequently asked questions
Does Hawaii sell tax liens or tax deeds?
What does a Hawaii tax sale buyer earn if the owner redeems?
How long is the redemption period in Hawaii?
Learn before you bid
How Hawaii tax sales work
The statute, the sale, and the deadlines, for Hawaii specifically.
How to buy tax sales in Hawaii
The step-by-step process for this state, from registration to redemption.
Redemption periods explained
How long owners have to buy back, and what it means for your yield.
Due diligence before a tax sale
Value a parcel before you bid so you never buy a landlocked write-off.
Tax Sale Atlas publishes educational information about public tax sale processes. This is not legal, financial, or investment advice. Rules, dates, and fees change; confirm with the county office before you bid.
Start with a Hawaii county
Open any county for its sale calendar, auction platform, registration rules, and office contacts.