HRS §551-1
Which court handles guardians and conservators
Read the official text at capitol.hawaii.gov ↗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
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.
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]
LawTrove is not legal advice. The summary above is a computer-generated restatement — the authoritative text is the official version linked above.