Statewide firm headquartered in downtown Honolulu with offices in Kahului, Kona, Lihue, and Waimea. Its Trusts & Estates Group counsels trustees and personal representatives through trust and estate administration, and handles conservatorship and guardianship proceedings and contested trust, estate, conservatorship, and guardianship matters through mediation or litigation.
What to Do When Someone Dies in Kalawao County, Hawaii
How probate works in Kalawao County: the Second Circuit Court record, what the process costs, and how to file there.
Probate Court Record
Kalawao County Second Circuit Court
Kalawao County · 2nd Circuit
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 7:45 AM-4:30 PM (except state holidays)
Office
Hoapili Hale, 2145 Main Street, Suite 106, Wailuku, HI 96793-1679
Website
E-filing
Filing in person
Walk-ins accepted
Self-represented filing
Allowed
E-filing
Required for attorneysAttorneys must register as JEFS (Judiciary Electronic Filing and Service System) users and file every document through JEFS (HEFSR Rules 4.1(a) and 2.2). A self-represented party may register for JEFS but is not required to, and may keep filing paper documents at the courthouse (HEFSR Rule 4.1(c); JEFS Self-Represented Litigant Guide, April 2023). JEFS requires multi-factor authentication since September 13, 2026. Death certificates are sealed upon filing under Hawaii Probate Rules Rule 3(d). Second Circuit civil e-filing questions: 808-244-2998 or DCCrim.2DC@courts.hawaii.gov. On paper: Original wills: after the pleading is e-filed, the original paper will, one copy and a paper copy of the file-stamped pleading are submitted to the clerk (RCCH Rule 2(g)).
Filing in person
Walk-ins acceptedCounter hours at Hoapili Hale in Wailuku are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday except state holidays; no appointment is published.
Self-represented filing
AllowedSelf-represented filers may file probate without an attorney; JEFS e-filing is optional for them and paper filing is accepted at the counter (HEFSR Rule 4.1(c); JEFS Self-Represented Litigant Guide). Hawaii does not publish a county-specific probate forms packet. Kalawao probate is heard by the Second Circuit Court in Wailuku.
Self-help center
- Maui Court Self-Help Center, Hoapili Hale, 2145 Main Street, Wailuku, HI 967931-808-909-2841 · courtnavigator.2cc@courts.hawaii.gov · Monday, Thursday 10:00 AM-1:00 PM (phone; in person the second and fourth Thursday)The Second Circuit self-help center in Wailuku answers by phone for Molokaʻi, Lānaʻi and Hāna residents only while open and not operating in person, and takes no voice messages when closed. It gives limited legal information on District and Family Court civil matters, not probate. The volunteer Court Navigators answer questions about court resources, locations and procedures for Second Circuit cases by email.
Fax
1-808-244-2777
Departments
- Estate & Guardianship1-808-244-2939
- Legal Documents (Document Filing, Notary Authentication, File Room)1-808-244-2969
- ADA Accommodation Requests (Circuit Court)1-808-244-2929 · adarequest@courts.hawaii.gov
- Molokai District Court (nearest district court to Kalaupapa)1-808-553-1100 · 55 Makaena Street, Kaunakakai, HI 96748Second Circuit district court closest to the Kalaupapa peninsula. Closed 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. for lunch until a staff vacancy is filled; calls are forwarded to the Lahaina District Court.
About the court
- Kalawao County (FIPS 15005) is a Census-recognized county-equivalent consisting of the Kalaupapa, Kalawao, and Waikolu portions of Molokai (HRS 326-34(a)). It has no county council, mayor, or independent court system; under HRS 326-34(b) it is governed by the Hawaii Department of Health. Probate matters are heard by the Second Circuit Court in Wailuku because HRS 603-1(2) places the entire island of Molokai in the Second Circuit and HRS 560:3-201(a) places venue in the circuit of the decedent's domicile.
Verified October 15, 2026 · Source
How Probate Works in Kalawao County
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 Kalawao County, probate runs through the Second Circuit Court at Hoapili Hale, 2145 Main Street, Suite 106, Wailuku. The court sits in the 2nd Circuit. The same 2nd Circuit also serves Maui.
The personal representative opens the case, gives notice to heirs and creditors, files an inventory of the estate's assets, settles outstanding debts and taxes, and then distributes the remainder under the will — or under Hawaii intestacy law when there is no will.
Most Hawaii estates take 9 months to 15 months to move through this process. 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 a claim, counted from the first publication of the notice to creditors.
What Probate Costs in Kalawao County
What probate costs in Kalawao County, Hawaii comes down to a handful of line items — the court filing fee, attorney and executor compensation, publication, and sometimes a bond — scaled by the estate's size and whether the will is contested. The case itself runs through the Second Circuit Court at Hoapili Hale, 2145 Main Street, Suite 106, Wailuku. The court is part of the 2nd Circuit.
Hawaii charges $215Haw. Rev. Stat. § 607-5(b)(14), (c)(32); § 607-5.7(a)(2); Hawaii State Judiciary, List of Civil Filing Fees (updated 6/17/2022)Verified Oct 17, 2026View source to open probate, the same in every county. Additional filings during administration — inventory, accounting, the final petition — add to the total.
Estimate the costs for this estate:
Attorney fees in Hawaii are negotiated, typically 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 estate value. Flat-fee arrangements are common for straightforward estates.
Hawaii allows executors 'reasonable compensation' — around 2.2%–3.8% of a $500,000 estate, judging by what the states with statutory schedules payHRS § 560:3-719 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage; the § 607-18 percentage schedule applies to trustees, not personal representatives)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source. Family members who are also beneficiaries often waive the fee — executor pay is taxable income while inheritances are not.
Probate in Hawaii typically runs 9 months to 15 months, and costs accrue throughout that period.
How to File Probate at the Second Circuit Court
Probate cases in Kalawao County, Hawaii are filed at the Second Circuit Court. The court sits in the 2nd Circuit.
Beside the filing office, the court lists separate lines for Estate & Guardianship, Legal Documents, ADA Accommodation Requests (Circuit Court), and Molokai District Court (nearest district court to Kalaupapa).
The Second Circuit self-help center in Wailuku answers by phone for Molokaʻi, Lānaʻi and Hāna residents only while open and not operating in person, and takes no voice messages when closed. It gives limited legal information on District and Family Court civil matters, not probate. The volunteer Court Navigators answer questions about court resources, locations and procedures for Second Circuit cases by email.
Can You File Without an Attorney?
In Hawaii, informal probate is availableHRS § 560:3-301Verified Sep 8, 2026View source, and a self-represented executor can usually handle it for a simple, uncontested estate.
For a full cost comparison and filing checklist, see the Kalawao County Self-Filing Assessment.
Kalawao County Filing Requirements
These are specific requirements for filing probate in this county. Following these guidelines will help avoid delays or rejected filings.
Before You File
Ex parte motions are e-filed with the proposed order as one document titled "Ex Parte Motion for [fill-in]"; the assigned judge reviews it and court staff e-file a separate order granting or denying it.
SourceOne P. No. per decedent: every document in the administration of an estate carries the same P. No., and immediately below it notes the type of proceeding (Small Estate, Informal, Supervised, Will Deposit, Demand for Notice, No Fault, Determination of Death). The notation changes as the proceeding changes form (Hawaii Probate Rules Rule 50(a)).
SourceDocument Requirements
A will to be probated is presented to the clerk with a pleading stating why it is presented. With an e-filed pleading, the filing party then submits to the clerk the original paper will and one copy plus a paper copy of the e-filed pleading bearing the electronic file stamp; with a conventionally filed pleading, the paper will and one copy are submitted with the pleadings (RCCH Rule 2(g)).
SourceDeath certificates are sealed upon filing (Hawaii Probate Rules Rule 3(d)), along with birth and marriage certificates and tax returns.
SourceWhat to Bring
Filed with the opening petition at the Second Circuit Court: Death certificate — no statute or probate rule conditions an application or petition on filing one, but the mandatory statewide flag sheet requires the petitioner to state what it shows (HPR Rule 81 / Appendix A Flag Sheets 1-A, 1-B), and the Judiciary describes embossed CERTIFIED copies being submitted, sealed on filing (HPR Rule 3(d); HRS 560:1-311); Original will and any codicils (for testate estates); Application for informal probate / appointment OR petition for formal probate / appointment, verified by the applicant (notarized for informal applications) (HRS 560:3-301; HPR Rule 5(a))Haw. Rev. Stat. ch. 560, art. III (UPC); §§ 560:3-103 (letters), 3-301 to 3-311 (informal), 3-401 to 3-414 (formal)Verified Aug 24, 2026View source.
Death Certificates and the Coroner in Kalawao County
In Kalawao County certified copies of the death certificate come from Hawaii Department of Health - Vital Records Issuance Section; the Local Registrar files the certificate and issues no copies to the public.
Vital Records Office Record
Hawaii Department of Health - Vital Records Issuance Section
Kalawao County · State vital records office
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 7:45 AM-4:00 PM
Office
201 Merchant Street, Suite 100, City Financial Tower, Honolulu, HI 96813
Website
Certified copies
From Hawaii Department of Health - Vital Records Issuance Section; the Local Registrar files the certificate and issues no copies to the public
Office of Health Status Monitoring
Issuance/Vital Statistics Section
P.O. Box 3378
Honolulu, HI 96801
Certified copy fees
| First certified copy | $10 |
| Each additional copy ordered at the same time | $4 |
Verified October 15, 2026 · Source
Coroner or Medical Examiner Record
Coroner
Kalawao County
Published contact
None published by the county. The office is created by HRS § 841-1.
Verified November 4, 2026 · Source
Transferring Property in Kalawao County
Clearing title to real estate after a death, whether by a personal representative’s deed, an affidavit of survivorship, or a court order, happens at the Bureau of Conveyances.
Deeds and other real property documents for Kalawao County are recorded with the Bureau of Conveyances at 1151 Punchbowl Street, Room 120, Honolulu, HI 96813. Phone: 1-808-587-0147. Hours: Monday-Friday 7:45 AM-4:30 PM (except state holidays).
Documents submitted by mail go to P.O. Box 2867, Honolulu, HI 96803.
The Bureau of Conveyances charges $41 for 1-50 pages, $106 for 51+ pages.
Kalawao County accepts electronic recording through Simplifile, CSC, Indecomm and ePN.
Recording Office Record
Bureau of Conveyances
Kalawao County
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 7:45 AM-4:30 PM (except state holidays)
Office
1151 Punchbowl Street, Room 120, Honolulu, HI 96813
Website
P.O. Box 2867
Honolulu, HI 96803
Fax
1-808-587-0136
Recording fees
| 1-50 pages | $41 |
| 51+ pages | $106 |
| Transfer tax on a TOD deed | TOD deeds are exempt from transfer tax |
Bureau of Conveyances published fee schedule, eff. 2/27/2017 (dlnr.hawaii.gov/boc/recording-fees-new/, fetched 2026-10-16); rulemaking authority HRS 502-25(a); HAR § 13-16-22(a)(1)-(2) (am. and comp. 2/10/2017) states $35 / $100, raisable under HRS 92-28
Verified October 16, 2026 · Source
Probate Attorneys Serving Kalawao County
Hawaii allows informal probate, so many families settle straightforward estates in Kalawao County without hiring an attorney. A probate attorney earns the fee when the estate is contested, includes a business or out-of-state real estate, has unclear or insolvent debts, or when beneficiaries disagree.
Probate attorney fees in Hawaii are based on reasonable compensation, billed hourly or as a flat fee. Ask a Kalawao County firm to quote a structure up front.
A probate attorney files the petition with the Second Circuit Court, publishes the required creditor notices, prepares the inventory and accounting, handles creditor claims and tax filings, and guides the final distribution. They represent the personal representative — not the beneficiaries — a distinction that matters if a dispute develops.
Serves Maui County from Wailuku. Handles probate cases for the administration of a loved one's estate, and prepares wills, revocable living trusts, certifications of trust, trust amendments and restatements, deeds into trust, powers of attorney, and healthcare directives. A general-practice firm whose other practice areas include bankruptcy, family law, and criminal defense.
Serves Oahu, Hawaii Island, and Maui from offices in Honolulu, Hilo, Kailua-Kona, and Wailuku. Handles probate and trust administration, conservatorships and guardianships, and probate and trust litigation including disputed accountings and breach of fiduciary duty claims, alongside wills and trusts. Represents trustees and fiduciaries of large Hawaii dynastic trusts.
Serves clients statewide from a Honolulu office, with additional offices listed on Kauai, Maui, Hilo, and Kona. The firm guides personal representatives through probate and represents trustees in trust administration, including inventorying assets, paying debts and taxes, preparing accountings and trust tax returns, and distributing to beneficiaries. A free 15-minute phone consultation is offered.
Serves clients throughout Hawaii from Harbor Court in downtown Honolulu. Handles trust, probate, and conservatorship administration and litigation, dispute resolution, and estate planning. A solo practice focused on trusts and estates since 1992; the attorney is an ACTEC Fellow and serves on the Judiciary's Uniform Probate Code and Probate Court Practices Committee.
Serves clients from a Honolulu office at 999 Bishop Street. Its trusts and estates group represents personal representatives and trustees in probate and trust administration, counsels families and fiduciaries on post-death planning such as disclaimers and tax elections, handles will and trust contests and fiduciary litigation, and represents fiduciaries in estate tax audits.
Firm listings are for informational purposes only. SimplyTrust does not endorse or recommend any specific firm or attorney. Contact firms directly to verify their current practice areas and availability.
Legal Sources
(9)·
- Haw. Rev. Stat. § 607-5(b)(14), (c)(32); § 607-5.7(a)(2); Hawaii State Judiciary, List of Civil Filing Fees (updated 6/17/2022)
- Haw. Rev. Stat. ch. 560, art. III (UPC); §§ 560:3-103 (letters), 3-301 to 3-311 (informal), 3-401 to 3-414 (formal)
- HRS § 560:3-301
- HRS § 560:3-719 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage; the § 607-18 percentage schedule applies to trustees, not personal representatives)
- HRS §§ 560:3-801, 560:3-803, 560:3-805, 560:3-806 (am L 2023, c 158; § 3-801 am L 2024, c 7)
- Bureau of Conveyances published fee schedule, eff. 2/27/2017 (dlnr.hawaii.gov/boc/recording-fees-new/, fetched 2026-10-16); rulemaking authority HRS 502-25(a); HAR § 13-16-22(a)(1)-(2) (am. and comp. 2/10/2017) states $35 / $100, raisable under HRS 92-28
- Kalawao County Second Circuit Court, official page
- Kalawao County Bureau of Conveyances, official page
- Kalawao County vital records and death investigation offices, official page
Data sourced from Hawaii statutes and official state code. Fee percentages are modeled estimates; each figure's note says how. How we research.
Tools for Settling an Estate in Hawaii
Free tools for settling an estate in Hawaii: whether probate is needed, executor and trustee pay, creditor deadlines 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.
See the Steps
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.
See the Steps
Can I Self-File Probate?
In Hawaii, informal probate is availableHRS § 560:3-301Verified Sep 8, 2026View source, and a self-represented executor can usually handle it for a simple, uncontested estate.
Get the Answer
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