Estate Planning & Probate in City and County of Honolulu, Hawaii
There are two reasons people look up City and County of Honolulu probate: to keep a family out of it, or to get a loved one's estate through it. Start with your situation below; both paths use City and County of Honolulu's actual court and recording details.
Someone died — settling an estate
Filing probate at the First Circuit Court, what it costs, transferring property, and local attorneys.
What to do when someone dies in City and County of Honolulu →Planning ahead as a property owner
Keep a City and County of Honolulu home out of probate with a transfer-on-death deed or a living trust.
Estate planning in City and County of Honolulu →The Probate Process in City and County of Honolulu
Probate is the court-supervised process of settling someone's estate after they die — validating the will, paying debts and taxes, and transferring what's left to the heirs. In City and County of Honolulu, probate runs through the First Circuit Court at Ka'ahumanu Hale, 777 Punchbowl Street, Honolulu. The court sits in the 1st Circuit.
Full City and County of Honolulu probate guide: cost, how to file & attorneys →Probate Court Record
City and County of Honolulu First Circuit Court
City and County of Honolulu · 1st Circuit
Phone
Hours
Office
Website
E-filing
Filing in person
Self-represented filing
How to file probate in City and County of Honolulu →
Verified October 15, 2026 · Source
Recording Office Record
Bureau of Conveyances
City and County of Honolulu
Phone
Hours
Office
Website
Recording fee
Verified October 16, 2026 · Source
Vital Records Office Record
Hawaii Department of Health - Vital Records Issuance Section
City and County of Honolulu · State vital records office
Phone
Hours
Office
Website
Certified copies
Certified copy fee
Full death certificate details →
Verified October 15, 2026 · Source
Coroner or Medical Examiner Record
Medical Examiner
City and County of Honolulu · Department of the Medical Examiner
Phone
Office
Website
Full coroner or medical examiner details →
Verified November 1, 2026 · Source
Local Procedures at the First Circuit Court
The Access to Justice Room's volunteer attorneys give limited legal assistance on civil district court matters (landlord-tenant, collection and non-family temporary restraining order cases), not probate. Calls are answered by Legal Aid staff who connect the caller with the attorney. Free interpreter services for most languages are available at the self-help centers on request.
Ex parte petitions are not e-filed directly through JEFS. The unfiled original ex parte petition, with any supporting or proposed documents, is submitted in paper form to the Estate & Probate Branch (EPB), and a list of interested parties in the Excel spreadsheet format described in the JEFS User Manual is emailed to EstatesAndProbate.1CC@courts.hawaii.gov. EPB returns paper submissions needing correction with a pink sheet and contacts the submitting party for the filing fee before e-filing. An ex parte petition e-filed directly is processed without the opportunity for correction. Hearing petitions: shortly after the petition and supporting documents are e-filed, two file-marked copies of the petition and the proposed order setting the date, time and place of hearing (OSTPH) are delivered to the Estate & Probate Branch, which sets the hearing and e-files the OSTPH. Two paper copies of every other proposed document for the judge’s signature go to the probate judge’s chambers.
Forms for Planning and Settling an Estate in Hawaii
Free Hawaii forms to plan or settle an estate: a will, trust, powers of attorney, TOD deed and the probate forms. Prepare each form for Hawaii.
Last Will and Testament
In Hawaii, a will is signed before 2HRS § 560:2-502Verified Oct 18, 2026View source witnesses, and a self-proving affidavit signed with it lets the court admit it without witness testimonyHRS § 560:2-502Verified Oct 18, 2026View source.
Revocable Living Trust
Create a revocable living trust to avoid probate, protect privacy, and control asset distribution.
Pour-Over Will
In Hawaii, a pour-over will is signed before 2HRS § 560:2-502Verified Oct 18, 2026View source witnesses and moves anything left outside the trust into it through probate.
Healthcare Power of Attorney
Hawaii allows a choice for a healthcare power of attorney: 2HRS § 327E-16Verified Oct 15, 2026View source witnesses or a notary.
Financial Power of Attorney
Hawaii treats a power of attorney as durable by defaultHRS § 551E-3, § 551E-5, § 551E-9, § 551E-15, § 551E-16, § 551E-31, § 551E-47, § 551E-51 (L 2014, c 22); HRS § 502-84, § 501-174 (recording)Verified Sep 18, 2026View source, and it is signed with no witness or notary requirementHRS § 551E-3, § 551E-5, § 551E-9, § 551E-15, § 551E-16, § 551E-31, § 551E-47, § 551E-51 (L 2014, c 22); HRS § 502-84, § 501-174 (recording)Verified Oct 21, 2026View source.
Tools for Planning and Settling an Estate in Hawaii
Free calculators and checklists to plan or settle an estate in Hawaii: will and trust costs, probate, executor pay and taxes. Run each tool for Hawaii.
How Do I Settle an Estate?
Settling an estate in Hawaii: the personal representative files the estate inventory within 90 daysHRS § 560:3-706Verified Sep 15, 2026View source of appointment; creditors have 4 monthsHRS §§ 560:3-801, 560:3-803, 560:3-805, 560:3-806 (am L 2023, c 158; § 3-801 am L 2024, c 7)Verified Oct 18, 2026View source to present claims; a simple estate closes in 6 months to 9 months.
How Do I Settle a Trust?
Settling a trust in Hawaii happens outside court: the trustee acts under the state's Uniform Trust CodeHRS Ch. 554D (Uniform Trust Code)Verified Oct 17, 2026View source, notifies the beneficiaries within 60 daysHRS §§ 554D-813, 554D-1005Verified Sep 15, 2026View source, then pays the debts and distributes under the trust's terms.
Do I Need Probate?
In Hawaii, estates valued at $100,000HRS § 560:3-1201Verified Sep 8, 2026View source or less skip probate with the Affidavit for Collection of Personal PropertyHRS § 560:3-1201Verified Sep 8, 2026View source.
Who Inherits Without a Will?
Without a will in Hawaii, a surviving spouse takes the entire estateHRS § 560:2-102Verified Oct 21, 2026View source when every child of either spouse is a child of both, and descendants divide what passes to them per capita at each generationHRS § 560:2-106Verified Oct 21, 2026View source.
How Much Does Probate Cost?
Probate on a $500,000 estate in Hawaii costs an estimated $28,206HRS § 560:3-721 (court reviews attorney compensation for reasonableness; no statutory fee schedule)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source. Attorney fees run 2.3%Modeled estimate under HRS § 560:3-721 (court reviews attorney compensation for reasonableness; no statutory fee schedule): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 3.6%Modeled estimate under HRS § 560:3-721 (court reviews attorney compensation for reasonableness; no statutory fee schedule): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source of the estate under a reasonable-compensation standard.
Hawaii Estate Planning Articles
Articles about estate planning, probate, and trusts relevant to families in City and County of Honolulu.
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