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HRS §651-8

How much property can be seized

A police officer can take enough of the defendant's property to cover the amount the plaintiff says is owed, plus a little extra. The officer should first take property the defendant clearly owns. The court can pay the officer for taking care of the seized property.

creditorsdebtors

The statute, as written — Amount levied on

The police officer shall attach a sufficient amount of the property of the defendant if a sufficient amount of property not exempt from execution can be found, giving preference to property to which the defendant has an unquestionable title over any property to which the defendant's title is doubtful. The police officer, as nearly as the circumstances of the case will permit, shall levy upon property twenty per cent greater in value than the amount that the plaintiff in the plaintiff's affidavit claims to be due. When property is seized on attachment, the court may allow reasonable and just compensation to the officer having charge of the property for the officer's trouble and expenses in keeping the property.
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.