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Hawaii legal documents and rules

Create documents for Hawaii and check the Hawaii rules behind them. Every rule below links to the statute or official source we checked.

Hawaii rules at a glance

The statewide rules we verified for Hawaii, last checked October 2026. Local ordinances can add to them.

Security deposit limit
1 month's rent
Deposit return deadline
14 days
Interest on deposits
Not required by state law
Notice before landlord entry
48 hours

Hawaii caps the security deposit at one month's rent (plus an optional pet deposit of up to one month), requires return within 14 days after the tenancy ends, and requires two days' notice before landlord entry.

Notice for unpaid rent
10 days
Notice for a lease violation
10 days
Ending a month-to-month tenancy
45 days

In Hawaii a landlord currently must give a 10-day notice for unpaid rent under the pre-filing mediation pilot (normally 5 business days), at least 10 days to fix other lease breaches, and 45 days' notice to end a month-to-month tenancy.

Witnesses
2 witnesses
Self-proving affidavit
Allowed
Handwritten (holographic) wills
Recognized

A Hawaii will needs the testator's signature and two witnesses, can be made self-proved, and a holographic will is valid if the signature and material portions are in the testator's handwriting.

Notarization
Optional, recommended
Witnesses
None
Uniform Power of Attorney Act
Adopted (2014)

Hawaii requires a power of attorney to be signed by the principal (or by someone at the principal's direction in their presence); notarization is not required for validity, but acknowledged powers of attorney get a presumption of genuineness and must generally be accepted by third parties.

Vehicle bill of sale

Bill of sale required to title
In some cases
Notarization in a private sale
In some cases
Titling agency
County motor vehicle registration offices (e.g. City and County of Honolulu, Department of Customer Services, Division of Motor Vehicles)

In Hawaii the buyer brings the endorsed title to the county within 30 days; a notarized bill of sale is required only if the recorded owner has not released the title, and notarizing the seller's title signature is optional.

General information, not legal advice. Laws change, and cities can add their own rules, so check the current statute before you rely on it.