Kauai County, HI tax sales
Tax Sale Atlas maps the Kauai County, HI tax sale, one of 3,105 counties in 49 states. Hawaii sells redeemable deeds the owner can buy back with a statutory penalty. Sale office, calendar and list locations read from the county’s own official pages on Sep 28, 2026.
How tax deed sales work in Kauai County, seat of Līhuʻe: sale calendar, auction platform, over-the-counter lists, and the offices that run each sale.
New to tax sales? Read how Hawaii tax sales work or look terms up in the glossary.
- Announcements
- The sale set for May 21, 2026 was called off; the county announced it would no longer take place.
- Format
- In person
- Registration
- No online registration and no absentee bidding.
- County office
- (808) 241-4272
On this page
How Kauai County sells delinquent taxes
Tax deed sale
- Run by
- County of Kauai Director of Finance, through the Real Property Tax Collections office
- Frequency
- annual
- Registration
- No online registration and no absentee bidding.
When it runs
Registration and deposit
No online registration and no absentee bidding. Bid in person at the hall, or send an agent carrying a notarized authorization to bid and sign on your behalf. Agents must supply the full names of the grantee and spouse, a mailing address and phone number, and the form of tenancy for the deed. Out-of-state corporations must be registered to do business in Hawaii under HRS chapter 414.
Sale format and venue
Kauai County tax sale list and auction calendar
For Kauai County tax sale 2026 searches, use the county-run sources below rather than a copied parcel list, and confirm the parcel, registration cutoff, deposit, and payment deadline against the county before you bid. If the parcels on this list are vacant land rather than houses, what buying land at a tax sale hands you is the place to start.
Get the advertised list
Use May 21, 2026 Notice of Proposed Sale of Real Property (parcel list) for the current advertised parcels, then recheck it before the auction.Register to bid
Sale day
The sale is live and in person; there is no online bidding platform. Confirm the venue and hour with the county office before you go.Confirm with the office
If the list, platform, and notice disagree, use County of Kauai Director of Finance, through the Real Property Tax Collections office as the source to confirm which parcels are actually offered.
Before you bid in Kauai County
4 checks
Start with the live sale list
Pull the current advertised parcels from May 21, 2026 Notice of Proposed Sale of Real Property (parcel list). Lists can change before the sale, so recheck the county source before you price a parcel.Confirm registration and deposit
No online registration and no absentee bidding. Bid in person at the hall, or send an agent carrying a notarized authorization to bid and sign on your behalf. Agents must supply the full names of the grantee and spouse, a mailing address and phone number, and the form of tenancy for the deed. Out-of-state corporations must be registered to do business in Hawaii under HRS chapter 414.
Check the state rules that change the bid
Read the Hawaii due-diligence checklist before bidding. Redemption, liens that survive a tax deed, title cleanup, and payment deadlines can change what a parcel is worth. Which liens survive is state law, so read what survives a tax deed in Hawaii before you price the title work.Set a walk-away number
Work out what the parcel is actually worth with the rural land value estimator, then turn it into a ceiling with the tax deed max-bid calculator.
Use the arrow keys to switch between these sections.
County notes
- Kauai sells tax-delinquent parcels outright at an annual live auction in Lihue, subject to the owner's one-year right to redeem at 12% a year interest paid to the buyer.
- The owner arranges redemption directly with the purchaser, not through the county.
- The May 21, 2026 sale was called off before it opened. Confirm the next sale date with Real Property Tax Collections at (808) 241-4272 or rpc@kauai.gov.
- Bring certified funds for the full bid. The county does not accept absentee bids, personal checks or credit cards.
Hawaii rules
- Redemption
- 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.
- Deed deposit
- 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.
- Surplus proceeds
- Proceeds above the upset price are surplus, and the rules differ by county. 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.
A tax deed does not convey marketable title. Most buyers file a quiet title action before they can resell or insure the property. See the due diligence guide.
Frequently asked questions
Does Kauai County, Hawaii sell tax liens or tax deeds?
How often does Kauai County hold tax deed sales?
I own a property in this sale. Can I stop it?
Where can I find the Kauai County tax sale list?
Verified Sep 28, 2026 against official county and state sources.
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.
More Hawaii counties
Browse all 4 Hawaii counties
Compare sale calendars, platforms, and rules across the state, or read the guides before you bid.