How to buy tax-sale property in Hawaii (2026)
You buy a deed, but the former owner can still redeem the property for a set period. The owner has 1 year from the sale to pay you back. You earn 12% interest a year. You win with the highest bid. Sales are held on a schedule that varies by county.
- Redemption period
- 12 mo
- Interest / penalty
- Flat rate · 12%
- Bid method
- Highest bid
- Sale timing
- Varies
How to bid here · Hawaii
Unknown- Registration
- Required: UnknownUnknown
Not verified from a source yet.
- Deposit
- Required: UnknownUnknown
Not verified from a source yet.
- Forms
- Bidder ID card: UnknownW-9: Unknown
- Eligibility
- Residency required: UnknownNo delinquent taxes: Unknown
- Payment
- Unknown
Not verified from a source yet.
Hawaii is the outlier in this group: real property taxation is a county function, and the state's Real Property Tax Law (HRS chapter 246) together with chapter 246A was repealed in its entirety by Act 52, L 2016, effective July 1, 2016 (see the Department of Taxation digest cited). Because there is no current state law that prescribes how a bidder participates in a county real property tax sale, every structured field here is left unknown rather than guessed from county practice. Counties run their own foreclosure sales under their charters and ordinances (for example, Revised Ordinances of Honolulu chapter 8 and Hawaii County Code chapter 19), and those local rules are the ones that set registration, deposits, bidder forms, eligibility, payment, and sale format; they are outside this state-level file. The nearest current state statute is HRS 231-63, which authorizes the state tax collector to foreclose a lien for state taxes on real property by public auction to the highest bidder for cash, but that provision applies to state taxes (such as general excise or income tax) and not to county-imposed real property taxes, so it does not supply values for this file.
Citations
Sale type
HRS § 246-60 (tax deed; redemption)
official source“the delivery of the conveyances shall vest in the purchaser the title to the property sold; provided that the deed to the premises shall be recorded within sixty days after the sale”
Redemption
HRS § 246-60
official source“the taxpayer may redeem the property sold by payment to the purchaser at the sale, within one year from the date thereof”
Interest / penalty
HRS § 246-60
official source“interest on such amount at the rate of twelve per cent a year”
Bid method
HRS § 246-56 (foreclosure without suit)
official source“shall be sold by the tax collector at public auction to the highest bidder, for cash, to satisfy the lien”
Sale schedule
HRS § 246-56 (sale after public notice at least once a week for four successive weeks)
official source“after public notice given at least once a week for at least four successive weeks immediately prior thereto statewide”
HRS ch.246 was repealed by L 2016, c 52, s 7; real property tax functions transferred to the counties (HRS ch.246A). Sales are administered by each county (e.g., Hawaii County). Archived HRS 246-56 (official) shows the prior tax-lien foreclosure without suit. | Prose: redeemable deed | 12% per year on redemption | 1 year | highest bidder at public auction | varies by county
Frequently asked questions
- What do I actually buy at a Hawaii tax sale?
- The investor buys a deed to the property, but the former owner keeps a window to redeem and reclaim title.
- How long does the owner have to redeem the property in Hawaii?
- 12 months (1 year) from the sale date
- What interest or penalty do I earn on a Hawaii tax sale?
- 12% flat per year.
- How is the winning bidder chosen in Hawaii?
- The parcel or lien goes to the highest bidder at auction.
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Not legal, tax, or investment advice. Read the full disclaimer.