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SR-22 insurance in Hawaii

Hawaii's safety-responsibility chapter still prints 10/20/5 for the certified policy. The insurance code requires every policy to carry at least 20/40/10. The filing runs 3 years with a clean record.

Read from primary sources · Editor-reviewed · Law current as of September 19, 2026
By the sr22finder.com editorial team · Published September 19, 2026 · Last reviewed September 19, 2026 · 9 min read
7 primary sources cited on this page. How we check what is on this site
Hawaii minimum liability limits Three horizontal bars showing the minimum liability amounts a Hawaii SR-22 certifies: $20,000 bodily injury per person, $40,000 bodily injury per crash and $10,000 property damage. What a Hawaii SR-22 certifies Haw. Rev. Stat. sec. 431:10C-301(b) · 2025 Hawaii Revised Statutes Bodily injury, one person$20,000Bodily injury, one crash$40,000Property damage$10,000 $5,000 more per person than Louisiana, $80,000 less than Florida.
An SR-22 does not add cover. It tells the administrator that cover at least this large exists, and tells them the moment it stops.
The same diagram as a table
Minimum liability certified by a Hawaii SR-22
CoverAmountAuthority
Bodily injury, one person$20,000Haw. Rev. Stat. sec. 431:10C-301(b)
Bodily injury, one crash$40,000Haw. Rev. Stat. sec. 431:10C-301(b)
Property damage$10,000Haw. Rev. Stat. sec. 431:10C-301(b)

Shorthand: 20/40/10. Read on September 19, 2026 from https://law.justia.com/codes/hawaii/title-24/chapter-431/section-431-10c-301/.

Hawaii SR-22 at a glance
CertificateSR-22
Minimum liability certified$20,000 per person / $40,000 per accident / $10,000 property damage
Shorthand20/40/10
Filed withthe county administrator, by the insurer
How long3 years — Haw. Rev. Stat. sec. 287-40(a)(1)
Authority for the amountsHaw. Rev. Stat. sec. 431:10C-301(b)
Figures readSeptember 19, 2026

Two chapters, two sets of numbers

The Motor Vehicle Safety Responsibility chapter, chapter 287, describes the owner's policy that can be certified as proof. Its limits are 10/20/5.

The insurance code says something different. Section 431:10C-301 requires that “a motor vehicle insurance policy shall include” liability coverage of at least $20,000 per person with an aggregate of $40,000 per accident, and $10,000 for property — 20/40/10. The authority is Haw. Rev. Stat. sec. 431:10C-301(b).

Which one a filing sits on

A certificate has to point at an actual policy, and every policy issued has to meet the insurance code. So in practice the floor under a Hawaii filing is 20/40/10, not the older figures in chapter 287. A quote at 10/20/5 is describing a policy the insurance code does not allow.

Get quotes at 20/40/10

Agencies that file SR-22 certificates in Hawaii. Enter your ZIP and we will carry it up to the form.

When proof is required

Section 287-20 requires proof before a license is reissued after it has been suspended or revoked under the impaired-driving provisions of chapter 291E, or upon a conviction of any offense that led to a suspension or revocation. It lists exceptions: a conviction of a moving violation, an administrative suspension under chapter 291A, and a first conviction within five years for driving without a valid insurance policy.

Even when the court does not suspend

The second subsection goes further than most. For a listed set of offenses — including reckless or inattentive driving and driving under the influence — where a court has discretion to suspend but does not, “the administrator nevertheless, after the expiration of thirty days from the date of conviction… shall suspend the license” until proof is furnished and maintained. A lenient sentence does not avoid the filing.

The administrator is local

The chapter defines its administrator as “the chief of police of each county or the director of finance of each county and their authorized subordinates.” Proof in Hawaii is handled county by county.

Hawaii SR-22 filing period A horizontal timeline marked in years, from the point proof is required to the point the filing may be released. How long the SR-22 stays on file in Hawaii The clock starts when proof is required, not when you buy the policy proof required release available year 0year 1year 2year 3 A lapse does not pause this line. The insurer must tell the administrator, and the suspension comes back. 3 years of continuous filing. Haw. Rev. Stat. sec. 287-40(a)(1).
The date that matters is the date proof was required. People count from the day they bought the policy and come up short.
The same diagram as a table
Hawaii SR-22 filing period
ItemValue
Filing period3 years — Haw. Rev. Stat. sec. 287-40(a)(1)
Clock startsThe date proof of financial responsibility was required
Filed withthe county administrator, by the insurer
Effect of a lapseThe insurer notifies the state and the suspension resumes

Three years, clean

The administrator releases the proof “at any time after three years from the date the proof was required when, during the three-year period preceding the request, the administrator has not received record of a conviction” that would permit suspension or revocation. Haw. Rev. Stat. sec. 287-40(a)(1).

It is a rolling look-back. Release also follows death, permanent incapacity, or surrender of the license.

A deposit instead of a policy

Chapter 287 allows proof without an insurer: the administrator's certificate that the person has deposited $25,000 in cash or bonds. The administrator accepts the deposit only with evidence that there are no unsatisfied judgments against the depositor in the county where they live, and it is then held to satisfy judgments arising from the person's driving afterwards.

Surrender the license when the policy ends

A person whose required policy has been canceled or terminated “shall immediately surrender the person's license to the administrator,” and if they do not, the administrator directs a police officer to take it. Whenever the proof on file no longer serves its purpose, the administrator requires new proof and suspends the license and registration until it is filed.

What this page does not cover

Hawaii's impaired-driving penalties, revocation periods and ignition interlock requirements are in chapter 291E, which this site has not read, so none of them is described here. Nor does this page describe the no-fault personal injury protection parts of the insurance code.

A note on sources

Chapters 287 and 431 were read from a published reproduction of the 2025 Hawaii Revised Statutes.

Getting a comparable quote in Hawaii

Quote to the insurance code, not chapter 287

20/40/10 is the floor any policy must meet.

Keep three clean years

The release test looks back over the whole period.

Hawaii's clock is compared with every other state's in the filing-period guide.

Common questions about the Hawaii SR-22

How long do I need an SR-22 in Hawaii?

Three years from the date proof was required, if the preceding three years are clean, under Haw. Rev. Stat. sec. 287-40(a)(1).

What are the Hawaii SR-22 minimum limits?

Every policy must include at least 20/40/10, under Haw. Rev. Stat. sec. 431:10C-301(b). Chapter 287 still prints 10/20/5 for the certified policy.

Can I avoid an SR-22 in Hawaii if the court does not suspend my license?

Not for the listed offenses. After thirty days the administrator suspends the license anyway until proof is furnished, under section 287-20(b).

Who handles SR-22 filings in Hawaii?

The administrator under chapter 287: the chief of police or the director of finance of each county, under section 287-1.

What happens if my Hawaii SR-22 policy is canceled?

You must immediately surrender your license to the administrator, under section 287-41.

The same thing in another state

Sources cited on this page

  1. Haw. Rev. Stat. sec. 431:10C-301(b)
  2. Haw. Rev. Stat. sec. 287-25
  3. Haw. Rev. Stat. sec. 287-40(a)(1)
  4. Haw. Rev. Stat. sec. 287-20(a)
  5. Haw. Rev. Stat. sec. 287-1
  6. Haw. Rev. Stat. sec. 287-36(a)
  7. Haw. Rev. Stat. sec. 287-41

Every figure above was read from the source it is attributed to on September 19, 2026. How we check this.

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