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HRS §634-22

How court papers must show proof of delivery

When a court paper is delivered by an official server, the server must write on the back who was served, when, and where, and sign it. If delivery fails, the server must write the reason and sign. This written record is accepted as proof unless someone wants to question the server in court.

courts

The statute, as written — Return

In all cases where any process or order of a court is served by any officer of the court or of the police force or the sheriff, a deputy sheriff, an independent civil process server from the department of law enforcement's list under section 353C-11, or any investigator appointed and commissioned by the director of commerce and consumer affairs pursuant to section 26-9(j), a record thereof shall be endorsed upon the back of the process, complaint, order, or citation. The record shall state the name of the person served and the time and place of service and shall be signed by the sheriff, deputy sheriff, police officer, independent civil process server, or investigator making the service. If the sheriff, deputy sheriff, police officer, independent civil process server, or investigator fails to make service, the sheriff, deputy sheriff, police officer, independent civil process server, or investigator in like manner, shall endorse the reason for the sheriff's, deputy sheriff's, police officer's, independent civil process server's, or investigator's failure and sign this record. When service is made by a person specially appointed by the court, or an independent civil process server, that person shall make declaration or affidavit of that service. The record, declaration, or affidavit shall be prima facie evidence of all it contains, and no further proof thereof shall be required unless either party desires to examine the sheriff, deputy sheriff, police officer, independent civil process server, or investigator making service, in which case the sheriff, deputy sheriff, police officer, independent civil process server, or investigator shall be notified to appear for examination.
Read the official text at capitol.hawaii.gov ↗as published Jan 6, 2026our copy taken Aug 20, 2026

Sections this one refers to

§26-9 How the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs is organized and what it does

§353C-11 Independent civil process servers list

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