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HRS §305J-9

Getting permission to run a religious school in Hawaii

A seminary or religious training school must get state permission before operating in Hawaii. It can do this by joining a reciprocity agreement the state is part of, or by applying to the director on the state's form and proving it is a real religious school and a post-secondary school. The law does not stop the school from seeking accreditation.

The statute, as written — Authorization to operate in the State; seminary or religious training institutions

(a) To operate in the State, a seminary or religious training institution shall : (1) Be party to a reciprocity agreement to which the State is a member; or (2) Apply for, on a form prescribed by the department, and receive authorization from the director; provided that the institution shall establish that it qualifies as a bona fide religious training institution and as an institution of post-secondary education. (b) Nothing in this section shall preclude a seminary or religious training institution from seeking accreditation.
Read the official text at capitol.hawaii.gov ↗as published Jan 6, 2026our copy taken Aug 20, 2026

LawTrove is not legal advice. The summary above is a computer-generated restatement — the authoritative text is the official version linked above.