Haw. Dist. Ct. R. Civ. P. 77

(a) District courts always open. The district courts shall be deemed always open for the purpose of filing any pleading or other proper paper, of issuing and returning mesne and final process, and of making motions and orders. The office of the clerk with the clerk or a deputy in attendance shall be open during business hours on all days except Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays, but the court may provide by rule that the office of the clerk shall be open for specified hours on Saturday, Sundays or holidays.

(b) Trials and hearings; orders in chambers. All trials upon the merits shall be conducted in open court and so far as convenient in a regular court room. All other acts or proceedings may be done or conducted by a judge in chambers, without the attendance of the clerk or other court officials.

(c) Clerk's office and orders by clerk. The clerk's office with the clerk or a deputy in attendance shall be open during business hours on all days except Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. All motions and applications in the clerk's office for issuing mesne process, for issuing final process to enforce and execute judgments, for entering defaults or judgments by default, and for other proceedings which do not require allowance or order of the court are grantable by the clerk; but the clerk's action may

be suspended or altered or rescinded by the court upon cause shown.

(d) Notice of orders or judgments. Immediately upon entry of a judgment, or an order for which notice of entry is required by these rules, the clerk shall serve a notice of the entry by mail in the manner provided for in Rule 5 upon each party who is not in default for failure to appear, and such other person as the court may direct, and shall make a note in the docket of the mailing. Such mailing is sufficient notice for all purposes for which notice of the entry of a judgment or order is required by these rules. In addition, immediately upon entry, the party presenting the judgment or order shall serve a copy thereof in the manner provided in Rule 5. Lack of notice of the entry by the clerk, or failure to make such service, does not affect the time to appeal or relieve or authorize the court to relieve a party for failure to appeal within the time allowed, except as permitted by Rule 4(a) of the Hawaiʻi Rules of Appellate Procedure.

(e) Reserved.

(f) Costs awarded by the court. In addition to any other costs allowed by statute or rule, the court may award to a prevailing plaintiff, cross-claimant, or third-party plaintiff the actual cost of service of process, whether service is made by a public or private process server, provided the amount shall not exceed the statutory amount(s) allowed for service of process by sheriffs or police officers.

COMMENTS:

Adopts DCRCP Rule 77 (HRCP Rule 77 is identical except it refers to "Circuit" rather than "District" Court) with changes to gender neutral language and addition of paragraph (e) which is applicable to the District Court.

(Amended April 25, 2003, effective July 1, 2003; further amended June 15, 2005, effective July 1, 2005; further amended May 21, 2026 and July 6, 2026, effective July 1, 2026.)