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HRS §444-16.5

Contractor bonds and who must get them

The contractors license board can require specialty and general contractors to get a bond of at least $5,000. The bond protects workers and others who are owed wages, and it covers harm from the contractor's wrongful acts. The board looks at the contractor's finances and experience before deciding.

contractors

The statute, as written — Bond

The contractors license board may require each licensee, applicant, individual or corporate, who is a specialty contractor to put up bond in the sum of not less than $5,000 executed by the licensee or applicant as principal and by a surety company authorized to do business in the State as surety. The board may require each licensee, applicant, individual or corporate, who is a general contractor to put up a bond in the sum of not less than $5,000 executed by the licensee or applicant as principal and by a surety company authorized to do business in the State as surety. The board, in exercising its discretion, shall take into consideration the licensee's or applicant's financial condition and experience in the field. The bond shall be in a form as the board may prescribe, conditioned upon the payment of wages, as defined in section 104-1, to the employees of the contractor or any other person or entity entitled to wages when due, and giving employees or any other person or entity entitled to wages who have not been paid a right of action on the bond in their own names; and upon the honest conduct of the business of the licensee, and upon the right of any person injured or damaged by any wrongful act of the licensee to bring an action on the bond; provided that any claim for wages shall have priority over all other claims.
Read the official text at capitol.hawaii.gov ↗as published Jan 6, 2026our copy taken Aug 20, 2026

Sections this one refers to

§104-1 Definitions for public work construction rules

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