To buy a redeemable tax deed in Hawaii you bid on the property at a county auction run by the county director of finance. The deed does not issue at the sale: the former owner keeps a statutory window to redeem by paying you a premium, and your deed issues only after that window closes unredeemed.
Each step below is drawn from Hawaii statute, not general advice. The exact sale dates, platform, and deposit amounts are set county by county, so confirm the specifics on your county page before you register.
New here? There is no certificate step in Hawaii. You bid on the property itself, so the money is at risk on the parcel from day one and the research has to happen before the auction, not after. Not sure which is for you? Start with tax lien vs tax deed.
Learn the timeline and lien priority
All 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. 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. Understand this before you commit any money.
Learn what sends a parcel to the auction
Any parcel carrying a real property tax lien may be sold by foreclosure without suit. 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. The upset price is the delinquent taxes, penalty and interest accrued to the sale date plus the costs, expenses and charges of the sale. The parcel goes to the highest bidder for cash, and a parcel that draws no bid sufficient to satisfy the lien, interest, penalties, costs and charges may be withdrawn and the sale abandoned.
Bid at the tax deed auction
The county director of finance sells the property at public auction to the highest bidder. No separate deposit: the whole bid is due at the sale. 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. Immediately after the winning bid, in full. Maui and Hawaii County state that bidders will not be allowed to leave the building to get payment. No county offers financing.
Wait out the redemption window, then take the deed
The 12 percent is an annual rate on the amount the purchaser paid plus the purchaser's required costs, not a flat premium, so the redemption payment grows with time and a quick redemption earns only the interest actually accrued. Hawaii County's FAQ describes it as 1 percent a month. In Honolulu and Maui, where a deed recorded more than 60 days after the sale extends the redemption window to one year from recording, no interest is added for the extended period. The former owner redeems by paying the purchaser directly; the counties take no part in it. 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. To redeem, the owner pays the amount the purchaser paid at the sale, plus all costs and expenses the purchaser was required to pay including the fee for recording the deed, plus interest on that total at 12 percent a year. On payment the director makes and delivers the tax deed, and delivery vests title in the purchaser; the county prepares the deed and records it at the Bureau of Conveyances or Land Court, collecting the recording fee from the purchaser at the sale. Honolulu and Maui require the deed to be recorded within 60 days of the sale. The county FAQs say title passes at the sale and recording, with the deed carrying a reservation for the redemption period, and that the recorded deed can take several months to arrive. If they redeem, that payoff is your return. If the window closes without a redemption, the deed issues to you only then, so the parcel is not yours at the auction.
One more step: clear the title
Winning a tax deed does not hand you marketable title. Before you can resell to a normal buyer or insure the parcel, you will usually need a quiet title action, which takes months and costs money. Fold that cost into your maximum bid and read what you actually own after a tax deed before you bid. A tax deed also does not wipe out everything: select governmental and municipal liens can survive, and a federal tax lien carries a 120-day IRS redemption right, so check what survives a tax deed too.
Buying redeemable tax deeds in Hawaii: common questions
How do you buy a redeemable tax deed in Hawaii?
Can you buy Hawaii redeemable tax deeds online?
More Hawaii answers, including redemption and statute detail, are on the Hawaii tax sale FAQ.
New to this? Start with tax lien vs tax deed and the full Hawaii walkthrough, then value a parcel with the due diligence guide.
Steps verified Sep 27, 2026 against Hawaii statutes.
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.