Maui County, HI tax sales
Tax Sale Atlas maps the Maui County, HI tax sale, one of 3,131 counties in 51 states. Hawaii sells redeemable deeds that pay up to 12% a year interest on redemption. Sale office, calendar and list locations read from the county’s own official pages on Sep 28, 2026.
How tax deed sales work in Maui County, seat of Wailuku: sale calendar, auction platform, over-the-counter lists, and the offices that run each sale.
New to tax sales? Read how Hawaii tax sales work or look terms up in the glossary.
- Next tax deed sale
- Usually held once a year in May at the Kihei Community Center, 303 E.
- Format
- In person
- County office
- (808) 270-7697
On this page
How Maui County sells delinquent taxes
Tax deed sale
- Run by
- County of Maui Department of Finance, Treasury Division, Real Property Tax Collections
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- Usually held once a year in May at the Kihei Community Center, 303 E.
When it runs
Registration and deposit
Active bidders must register and verify funds at the tax sale before the auction starts; observers do not need to register. Absentee bidding is not allowed, and a representative bidding for someone else must bring notarized documents showing that authorization. Full payment is due on sale day by certified or cashier's check (the county's 2026 sale notice); the county FAQ adds that cash, money orders, personal or business checks and cards are not accepted, and there is no financing.
Sale format and venue
Maui County tax sale list and auction calendar
For Maui County tax sale 2026 searches, use the county-run sources below rather than a copied parcel list, and confirm the parcel, registration cutoff, deposit, and payment deadline against the county before you bid. If the parcels on this list are vacant land rather than houses, what buying land at a tax sale hands you is the place to start.
Confirm the advertised parcel list
Use Delinquent Tax Accounts page (the 2026 sale list for May 19, 2026 is past; the next list posts about 4 weeks before the next sale) as a starting reference. Check which sale or list it covers; a Lands Available or office information page is separate from an auction parcel list. Ask the sale office for the advertised parcels for the auction you plan to attend.Register to bid
Ask the County of Maui Department of Finance how and when to register; many counties close registration days or weeks before the sale.Sale day
Usually held once a year in May at the Kihei Community Center, 303 E. The sale is live and in person; there is no online bidding platform. Confirm the venue and hour with the County of Maui Department of Finance before you go.Confirm with the office
If the list, platform, and notice disagree, use the County of Maui Department of Finance as the source to confirm which parcels are actually offered.
Before you bid in Maui County
4 checks
Confirm the parcel list before pricing
Open Delinquent Tax Accounts page (the 2026 sale list for May 19, 2026 is past; the next list posts about 4 weeks before the next sale). Confirm whether this reference contains the auction parcels or covers a different list. Get the advertised parcel list from the county before you price a bid, and recheck it before the sale.Confirm registration and deposit
Active bidders must register and verify funds at the tax sale before the auction starts; observers do not need to register. Absentee bidding is not allowed, and a representative bidding for someone else must bring notarized documents showing that authorization. Full payment is due on sale day by certified or cashier's check (the county's 2026 sale notice); the county FAQ adds that cash, money orders, personal or business checks and cards are not accepted, and there is no financing.
Check the state rules that change the bid
Read the Hawaii due-diligence checklist before bidding. Redemption, liens that survive a tax deed, title cleanup, and payment deadlines can change what a parcel is worth. Which liens survive is state law, so read what survives a tax deed in Hawaii before you price the title work.Set a walk-away number
Work out what the parcel is actually worth with the rural land value estimator, then turn it into a ceiling with the tax deed max-bid calculator.
Use the arrow keys to switch between these sections.
County notes
- Maui County holds one in-person tax sale a year, usually in May at the Kihei Community Center. It covers only parcels three or more years delinquent.
- Payment is by certified or cashier's check, in full on sale day. The former owner can redeem for one year at 12% annual interest, and the deed carries no warranty of title.
- The Department of Finance main line is (808) 270-7722; Real Property Tax Collections answers tax sale questions at (808) 270-7697.
Hawaii rules
- Redemption
- The former owner redeems by paying the purchaser directly; the counties take no part in it. The clock runs from the sale, not from recording, except in Honolulu and Maui, where a deed not recorded within 60 days of the sale extends the window to one year from the day the deed is recorded, without further interest for the extension. Hawaii County advises buyers not to build during the year, since the former owner need not pay for improvements, and says a buyer may sell during the year only subject to the redemption right.
- Deed deposit
- No separate deposit: the whole bid is due at the sale, and each county sets its own payment forms. Honolulu takes cashier's checks payable to the "City and County of Honolulu" that show on their face they are drawn on a bank with a Hawaii address. Maui's 2026 sale took certified or cashier's checks, and active bidders must register and have funds verified at the event. Kauai's 2026 notice lists cash, certified checks, cashier's checks, traveler's checks or money orders. Hawaii County's June 2026 notice lists cash, cashier's checks, traveler's checks, money orders or certified checks, with no registration. No county takes personal checks or cards, and an overage on a check comes back as a county credit memo or check.
- Surplus proceeds
- Proceeds above the upset price are surplus, and the rules differ by county. Hawaii County (19-45) and Kauai (5A-5.9): lienholders of record who file a claim within one year of the sale are paid in priority, any lien left unsatisfied is extinguished against the property and the purchaser, then remaining taxes are paid, then the former owner is paid on a claim filed within two years (Hawaii County) or one year (Kauai), and anything left goes to the county general fund. Honolulu (8-5.9) and Maui (3.48.285): the director pays all taxes owed by the taxpayer from the surplus and, where entitlement is in doubt, may refuse to distribute and require claimants to interplead in circuit court.
What the deed conveys: Differs by county. Hawaii County (19-42) and Kauai (5A-5.6) vest fee title free and clear of any lien, claim or encumbrance except later real property taxes, subject only to State mineral rights and government easements. Honolulu (8-5.6) and Maui (3.48.270) say only that delivery of the deed vests title in the purchaser; Honolulu's 2026 sale notice nonetheless describes the parcels as sold in fee simple free and clear of all liens. Every county sells 'as is' with no warranty of title or condition, Hawaii County notes that title companies mostly will not insure a tax-deed title and that federal tax liens are a separate risk, and the former owner can redeem for a year. Get a title opinion before bidding. See the due diligence guide.
Frequently asked questions
Does Maui County, Hawaii sell tax liens or tax deeds?
How often does Maui County hold tax deed sales?
I own a property in this sale. Can I stop it?
Where can I find the Maui County tax sale list?
Verified Sep 28, 2026 against official county and state sources.
Tax Sale Atlas publishes educational information about public tax sale processes. This is not legal, financial, or investment advice. Rules, dates, and fees change; confirm with the office that runs the sale before you bid.
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Compare sale calendars, platforms, and rules across the state, or read the guides before you bid.