HRS §490:9-333
Priority of certain liens arising by operation of law
Read the official text at capitol.hawaii.gov ↗This section says that a person who holds a possessory lien on goods (created by law, not by contract) generally has priority over a security interest in those goods, unless the law creating the lien says otherwise. It defines what a possessory lien is.
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The statute, as written — Priority of certain liens arising by operation of law
A copy, taken August 20, 2026. The version published by the Legislature is the one that governs, and it may have changed since. Check it before relying on anything here.
(a) In this section, "possessory lien" means an interest, other than a security interest or an agricultural lien: (1) Which secures payment or performance of an obligation for services or materials furnished with respect to goods by a person in the ordinary course of the person's business; (2) Which is created by statute or rule of law in favor of the person; and (3) Whose effectiveness depends on the person's possession of the goods. (b) A possessory lien on goods has priority over a security interest in the goods unless the lien is created by a statute that expressly provides otherwise.
LawTrove is not legal advice. The summary above is a computer-generated restatement — the authoritative text is the official version linked above.