Home / Small estate limits / Pacific
Haw. Rev. Stat. § 560:3-1205 · checked 2026-10-20
Hawaii small estate affidavit limit
In Hawaii the small estate administration by the clerk of court is available when the total value of the decedent's property in Hawaii is $100,000 or less; the statute sets no waiting period. It works through a short court proceeding started by petition.
- 1Dollar limit $100,000
- 2Waiting period None stated
- 3Filed with Court
- 4Statute Haw. Rev. Stat. § 560:3-1205
What Haw. Rev. Stat. § 560:3-1205 says
The operative words of the statute, as read on 2026-10-20:
“a total value not exceeding $100,000”
That test is applied to the total value of the decedent's property in Hawaii. On a verified petition the court may, without notice or hearing, authorize the clerk of the circuit court to act as personal representative and collect and administer the estate.
Source: Haw. Rev. Stat. § 560:3-1205. Last checked 2026-10-20.
Worked examples against the $100,000 limit
| Estate value | Result under Haw. Rev. Stat. § 560:3-1205 |
|---|---|
| $60,000 | Within the limit |
| $100,000 | Within the limit |
| $101,000 | Over the limit by $1,000: the small-estate route is closed |
Values are the estate as the statute measures it — total value of the decedent's property in Hawaii — not everything the person owned. Hawaii's figure is $37,500 above the $62,500 median of the 48 jurisdictions with a dollar limit on this site, ranking 7th from the top, level with Arkansas, Idaho, Indiana, Montana.
When the route opens
Haw. Rev. Stat. § 560:3-1205 does not write a waiting period into the procedure, so timing depends on the court's own processing after the papers are filed. 31 of the 51 jurisdictions here do set one, most often around 30 days.
Filing and fees
This route is still a court proceeding, but a shorter one than full administration: a petition, notice to interested persons, and an order. The court fee schedule for Hawaii could not be read when this page was checked, so no fee is shown.
The free route is the probate court itself: the clerk or register in the county where the person lived can say which form the court uses for the small estate administration by the clerk of court and what it charges. This site does not supply forms or refer anyone to a lawyer.
Nearby Pacific jurisdictions
Alaska: $50,000 after 30 days; California: $208,850 after 40 days; Oregon: $75,000 after 30 days; Washington: $100,000 after 40 days.
Related: small estate limits compared · assets that skip probate · all 51 jurisdictions.
General information from the statute as written on 2026-10-20; not legal advice. Statutes change, courts add local rules, and the facts of an estate decide which route applies. Confirm with the Hawaii probate court or its self-help center before filing.