Hawaii makes adverse possession very hard to claim. HRS § 657-31 bars an action to recover land after twenty years, but HRS § 657-31.5 limits any adverse-possession claim accruing after November 7, 1978 to parcels of five acres or less and bars claimants who asserted a similar claim within the prior twenty years.
HRS § 657-31 sets the baseline period: 'No person shall commence an action to recover possession of any lands, or make any entry thereon, unless within twenty years after the right to bring the action first accrued.' HRS § 657-31.5 then sharply restricts modern claims: a person may claim adverse possession only 'if the real property which is the subject of the action is five acres or less' and 'the person claiming by adverse possession has not asserted any similar claim, in good faith, within the past twenty years,' excluding claims made before November 7, 1978. A grandfather clause preserves claims completing twenty years before that date. The possessor must still prove open, notorious, hostile, continuous, and exclusive possession.
No specific statutory penalty. A squatter on a parcel larger than five acres (post-1978) or who recently made a similar claim cannot acquire title; the record owner may recover possession through an ejectment or quiet-title action within the 20-year window.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Kaneohe, HI
Residential pool barriers in Kaneohe must meet ROH Sec. 16-6.2, which requires enclosures, self-closing gates, and opening limits to protect children. Compli...
Kaneohe, HI
Kaneohe's rolling terrain makes ROH Sec. 21-4.40 retaining wall rules especially relevant. Fill-retention walls in required yards cannot exceed 6 feet, and t...
Kaneohe, HI
Kaneohe fence materials are defined under ROH Sec. 21-4.60, recognizing wrought iron, wire, wood, vinyl, plastic, and masonry. The high-rainfall windward cli...
Kaneohe, HI
Kaneohe neighbor fence disputes are governed by ROH Sec. 21-4.30 yard rules. Honolulu has no spite-fence ordinance, so disputes outside code violations are h...
Kaneohe, HI
Public parks in Kaneohe are closed during posted night hours under ROH Sec. 10-1.2, with narrow exceptions for shoreline access through beach parks.
Kaneohe, HI
Kaneohe follows the state juvenile curfew under HRS Sec. 577-16 barring children under 16 from public places between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m. without a parent or g...
See how Kaneohe's squatter's rights & adverse possession rules stack up against other locations.
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