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ROH §27-3.8

Special tax lien on property and how it is enforced

Read the official text at honolulu.gov ↗

This section creates a lien on a property for unpaid special taxes. The lien starts when the tax ordinance takes effect and ends when the tax is paid. It ranks above most other liens, and the city can sell the property to collect unpaid taxes after a period of delinquency.

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The ordinance, as written (Honolulu County) — Special tax lien

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

(a) The special tax levied on a parcel shall be a lien against the land and improvements of the parcel. The lien shall attach from the effective date of the ordinance levying the special tax and shall be extinguished when the special tax is fully paid or terminated. (b) The lien of the special tax shall have priority over all other liens, except the lien of general real property taxes and the lien of assessments levied under HRS § 46-80. The lien of the special tax shall be on a parity with the lien of general real property taxes and the lien of assessments levied under HRS § 46-80, unless otherwise provided by law or ordinance. All liens of special taxes made pursuant to this chapter shall be on a parity without regard to when made or for what purpose. (c) If any special tax is not paid when due, the department of budget and fiscal services may, after not less than two months of delinquency, foreclose the lien of the special tax to collect the delinquent amount and any penalty, interest, and costs. Foreclosure shall be by way of advertisement and sale without suit, and shall be made by the director of budget and fiscal services in the same manner, except as otherwise approved by the council, under the same conditions and penalties, and with the same effect as provided by general law for sales of real property pursuant to default in payment of property taxes. In any event, the department of budget and fiscal services shall foreclose the lien before the end of the sixth year of a delinquency.
Read the official text at honolulu.gov ↗as published Jan 1, 2026our copy taken Aug 22, 2026

Published by the City and County of Honolulu through American Legal Publishing.

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