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HRS §551-1

Which court handles guardians and conservators

This law says which courts can appoint guardians and conservators. Family courts handle guardians for minors. Circuit courts handle conservators for adults and minors. Both courts can handle guardians for incapacitated adults. A person can have a guardian, a conservator, or both.

courts

The statute, as written — Jurisdiction

Family courts shall have exclusive jurisdiction to appoint guardians for minors, and circuit courts shall have exclusive jurisdiction to appoint conservators for both adults and minors. The family and circuit courts shall have concurrent jurisdiction over guardianships for incapacitated adults. Either a guardian or conservator, or both, may be appointed. [CC 1859, §1343; am L 1903, c 16, §1; RL 1925, §3064; am L 1925, c 42, §1; RL 1935, §4850; RL 1945, §12500; RL 1955, §338-1; HRS §551-1; am L 1972, c 145, §1(e); am L 1976, c 200, pt of §1; am L 2004, c 161, §16]
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.