HRS §651-1
How this law applies to courts and process servers
This section explains that the attachment law applies to circuit and district courts. It says district judges cannot attach real estate or serve outside their circuit. It also protects the state and its agencies from liability for independent process servers, and clarifies that these servers are not police officers.
courtsstate agencies
The statute, as written — General provisions
(a) This chapter shall apply to circuit and district courts. A judge of any court of record may make any order at chambers which may by the provisions of this chapter be made by the court in term time. When the proceedings are before a district judge, the judge shall be regarded as the clerk of the court for all purposes contemplated herein. Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to permit a district judge to issue a writ of attachment to be served out of the circuit in which the judge's court is situated, or to permit an attachment of real estate, or any interest therein, under a writ issued by a district court judge. (b) The department of law enforcement, the State, and the agencies, officers, and employees of the department of law enforcement or the State shall not be responsible or liable for the actions of any independent civil process server on the list maintained by the department of law enforcement pursuant to section 353C-11. The maintenance of the list pursuant to section 353C-11 shall not create a private cause of action against the department of law enforcement, the State, or the agencies, officers, and employees of the department of law enforcement or the State. (c) Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to make an independent civil process server a law enforcement officer, sheriff, or deputy sheriff, or an employee or agent of the department of law enforcement or the State. (d) As used in this chapter, "police officer" means the director of law enforcement or the director's duly authorized representative, any chief of police or subordinate police officer, or an independent civil process server on the list maintained by the department of law enforcement pursuant to section 353C-11.
Sections this one refers to
§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.