HRS §657-38
When entering land does not count as possession
Read the official text at capitol.hawaii.gov ↗This section says that simply stepping onto land does not count as legal possession. To count, you must stay on the land openly and peacefully for one year after entering, or start a lawsuit within one year of being kicked off.
landowners
The statute, as written — Possession, interrupting statute
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.
No person shall be deemed to have been in possession of any lands within the meaning of this part, merely by reason of having made an entry thereon, unless the person has continued in open and peaceable possession of the same for the space of one year after such entry; or unless an action has been commenced upon the entry within one year after ouster.
LawTrove is not legal advice. The summary above is a computer-generated restatement — the authoritative text is the official version linked above.