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KCC §5A-5.9

How leftover money from a tax foreclosure sale is paid out

Read the official text at ecode360.com ↗

After a tax foreclosure sale, the county pays off taxes and certain costs from the sale money. Then it pays other lenders who filed claims within one year, in order of priority. If money is left, the former owner can claim it within one year. Unclaimed money goes to the county.

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The ordinance, as written (Kauaʻi County) — Disposition of Surplus Monies

A copy, taken August 22, 2026. The version published by Kauaʻi County is the one that governs, and it may have changed since. Check it before relying on anything here.

The Director shall pay from the surplus all taxes, including interest and penalties, of whatsoever nature and howsoever accruing, as provided in Sec. 5A-5.1, and further he or she may pay from the surplus the cost of a search of any records where such search is deemed advisable by him or her to ascertain the person or persons entitled to the surplus; provided, nothing herein contained shall be construed to require the Director to make or cause any such search to be made.All proceeds remaining after payment of the costs and expenses of the enforcement and foreclosure of the tax lien, including a title search, and the amount of subsisting real property taxes, shall be distributed to lienholders of record in the order of their priority who have filed claims for the surplus with the Director within one year from the date of sale. Any lien, claim or encumbrance against the property remaining unsatisfied after the distribution of the surplus monies shall be extinguished and unenforceable against the property and the purchaser to whom the property is conveyed by the Director. If, in order to ascertain the person or persons entitled to the surplus, the Director deems it advisable to conduct a search of any records, he or she may pay from the surplus the cost of such search; provided, nothing herein contained shall be construed to require the Director to make or cause any search to be made. Any lienholder failing to file a claim for the surplus within one year from the date of the sale shall have no right to the surplus. The Director shall pay from any surplus remaining after distribution to record lienholders who have filed claims, all taxes, including interest and penalties, of whatsoever nature and howsoever accruing due at the time of the foreclosure sale from the taxpayer against whose property such tax lien is so enforced or foreclosed. If after payment of all taxes surplus funds remain, the Director shall pay the surplus to the taxpayer against whose property the tax lien was foreclosed, provided that the taxpayer has filed a claim for the surplus with the Director within one year from the date of sale. Any surplus remaining after payment to all those entitled as herein set forth shall be deposited into the County General Fund.If the Director is in doubt as to the person or persons entitled to the balance of the fund, he or she may refuse to distribute the surplus and any claimant may sue the Director in the circuit court. The Director may require the claimants to interplead, in which event he or she shall state the names of all claimants and shall cause them to be made parties to the action. If there are persons entitled to the fund who have not filed a claim, or if in the Director's opinion there may be other persons entitled to the fund who are unknown, the Director may apply for an order or orders joining these persons.Any orders of the court or summons in the matter may be served as provided by law or the rules of court, and all persons having any interest in the monies who are known, including the guardians of such of them as are under legal age or under any other legal disability (and if any one or more of them is under legal age or under other legal disability and without a guardian, the court shall appoint a guardian ad litem to represent them therein) shall have notice of the action by personal service upon them. All persons having any interest in the monies whose names are unknown or who, if known, do not reside within the County, or for any reason cannot be served with process within the County, shall have notice of the action as provided by Chapter 634, H.R.S., except that any publication of summons shall be held in at least one newspaper of general circulation published in the County of Kaua'i, and the form of notice to be published shall provide a brief description of the property which was sold.All expenses incurred by the Director shall be met out of the surplus monies realized from the sale.
Read the official text at ecode360.com ↗as published Jan 1, 2026our copy taken Aug 22, 2026

The County of Kauaʻi publishes this code through eCode360 and states that it is provided for information only and should not be considered the official version of the Code.

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