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Product liability in Hawaiʻi

Hawaiʻi generally gives two years after a personal-injury or property-damage cause of action accrues to bring suit. A sales-warranty claim follows a different statute: ordinarily four years from breach, with warranty breach generally accruing at tender of delivery. Preserve the injury, discovery, delivery and warranty timeline because the applicable claim can change the clock. 1,2

What Is Product Liability?

Product liability can cover claims that a product you make, import, distribute or sell injured someone or damaged property. If your business handles products, describe every role in the supply chain and ask how the quote treats product damage and recall costs. Read the national Product liability guide.

What to Watch for in Hawaii

  • Track when an injury claim accrued

    HRS § 657-7 sets a two-year period after accrual for actions seeking compensation for injury to a person or property. The statute itself says “accrued”; the factual accrual date can matter, so record when the harm and its possible cause became known and get claim-specific advice promptly. 1

  • Warranty claims can use a delivery-based clock

    Hawaiʻi’s UCC generally gives four years for a sales-contract claim. A warranty breach ordinarily accrues at tender of delivery regardless of the buyer’s knowledge; a warranty explicitly covering future performance is treated differently when discovery must await that performance. 2

  • Do not treat every theory as one deadline

    The Hawaiʻi Supreme Court has applied the sales-contract limitation to a personal-injury implied-warranty claim. An injury tort claim and a warranty claim may therefore have different clocks even when they concern the same product. 1,2

Who Regulates Insurance in Hawaii

Hawaiʻi Insurance Division

The Insurance Division oversees insurance companies and producers, examines Hawaiʻi-based insurers, reviews rate and policy filings, and investigates insurance complaints. It is part of the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs. 3,4,5

Surplus-lines tax and stamping office

Reported tax rate: 4.68% of premium when Hawaiʻi is the home state Hawaiʻi applies a 4.68% tax when it is the insured’s home state. Surplus-lines coverage is placed with an unauthorized insurer, so do not assume the Hawaiʻi Insurance Guaranty Association protects the policy; confirm the insurer’s status and policy terms with your broker. 6,7

Providers With Documented State Licenses

These providers publish a national listing for Product liability; the state records document licenses for the entities and roles shown below. Some records rely on company-reported information rather than independent regulator verification. A national listing does not confirm the product is available in Hawaii. Check the regulator’s license lookup and confirm state availability for your business when requesting a quote.

  • VouchVouch Specialty Insurance Services, LLCInsurance producer, Surplus-lines broker · checked 2026-09-28Vouch’s licenses page, effective January 16, 2025, lists producer licenses in all 50 states and DC. Its separate surplus-lines table includes Idaho number 870820, while a footnote says Georgia and Idaho do not issue agency-level surplus-lines licenses. Because those statements conflict for Idaho, this record keeps Idaho producer-only and does not treat the table number as established agency surplus-lines authority. The page is company-reported and does not establish product availability. 14

Questions to Ask Before You Buy in Hawaii

  1. When did the injury or property damage occur, and when did the affected person first learn facts connecting it to the product?
  2. When was the product tendered or delivered, and does the written warranty expressly extend to future performance?
  3. Which products, sale dates, warranty versions and customer records can we identify if a claim involves an older unit?

Product Liability in Hawaii: FAQ

How long is the general Hawaiʻi injury period? 1

HRS § 657-7 provides two years after the cause of action accrues for actions seeking compensation for injury to a person or property. The accrual date depends on the facts and should be assessed for the specific claim. 1

Does a product warranty share the same deadline? 2

Not necessarily. HRS § 490:2-725 ordinarily allows four years from accrual for a sales-contract claim, and a warranty breach generally accrues on tender of delivery, subject to the statute’s future-performance exception. 2

Product Liability in Other States

Other Coverage in Hawaii

Sources

  1. Hawaiʻi Revised Statutes § 657-7, Damage to persons or property. Hawaiʻi State Legislature; Current codification, § 657-7 and case notes at annotation 74 H. 1, 837 P.2d 1273 (1992). Accessed 2026-09-28.
  2. Hawaiʻi Revised Statutes, Chapter 490, Uniform Commercial Code. Hawaiʻi State Legislature; § 490:2-725(1)–(4), statute of limitations in contracts for sale; chapter text and history. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  3. Insurance Division. Hawaiʻi Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs; Official division homepage; scope, license search, complaints, contact information. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  4. Insurance Licenses and Registrations. Hawaiʻi Insurance Division; Insurance license information; links to state-based system for license applications and status. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  5. Filing a Complaint. Hawaiʻi Insurance Division; Online complaint form and published consumer phone. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  6. Surplus Lines Tax. Hawaiʻi Insurance Division; 4.68% rate and home-state application under HRS § 431:8-315. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  7. HRS § 431:16-105: Definitions. Hawaiʻi Legislature; Defines a member insurer as an insurer licensed or holding a certificate of authority in Hawaiʻi; cross-read with HRS § 431:8-102 and § 431:8-301 for unauthorized surplus-lines placements. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  8. Licenses. At-Bay; Current producer introduction and state table; At-Bay Insurance Services LLC; P&C and surplus-lines identifiers. Accessed 2026-09-21.
  9. Licenses and Carriers. Coalition; Licenses and Carriers, re-read 22 September 2026: Insurance Licenses table for Coalition Insurance Solutions, Inc., national producer number 18419475, with producer and surplus-lines numbers for all 50 states and DC including California 0L76155, Georgia 196479, Texas 2199630 and 2205589, Pennsylvania 815731 and 817452, Colorado 539028 and Wisconsin 3000108852. Insurance Carriers table naming, with NAIC numbers, Allianz Underwriters Insurance Company 36420, Arch Specialty Insurance Company 21199, Ascot Specialty Insurance Company 45055, Ascot Insurance Company 23752, Aspen Specialty Insurance Company 10717, Chaucer Insurance Company DAC, Coalition Insurance Company 29530, Fireman's Fund Indemnity Corporation 11380, Fortegra Specialty Insurance Company 16823, Lloyd's of London, MSIG Specialty Insurance USA Inc. 34886, MS Transverse Specialty Insurance Company 41807, Steadfast Insurance Company 26387, Vantage Risk Specialty Insurance Company 16275 and Zurich American Insurance Company 16535. Accessed 2026-09-22.
  10. Insurance Producer Licenses. Corgi Insurance; Current complete Insurance Producer Licenses table for Corgi Insurance Services, Inc.; 50 rows covering 49 states and DC (DC 3003091619); no New Mexico row; no NPN or as-of date shown. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  11. About Hiscox US Insurance. Hiscox; Hiscox Insurance Company Inc. NAIC 10200 as Chicago, IL domiciled insurer admitted or licensed in all 50 states and D.C.; Hiscox Inc. as general agent and Lloyd’s coverholder for Syndicates 33 and 3624; surplus-lines placements through licensed surplus-lines brokers; A.M. Best rating statement. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  12. Licenses. ERGO NEXT Insurance; Current entity-by-state license table reopened 28 September 2026: 50 rows under Next First Insurance Agency, Inc., including Washington, DC; New York rows instead list Next Insurance Services PC-1423070 and AP Intego BR-1198885. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  13. Insurance Licenses by State. TechInsurance; Current state table; identifies TechInsurance as a division of Specialty Program Group LLC d/b/a SPG Insurance Solutions; lists DC 3000041536 and labels Rhode Island “Individual licenses,” without an agency license number. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  14. Licenses. Vouch; Effective 16 January 2025: Vouch Specialty Insurance Services, LLC, NPN 19926463; P&C table (50 states and DC); surplus-lines table includes Idaho 870820; footnote says Georgia and Idaho do not issue agency-level surplus-lines licenses; Idaho retained as producer-only due to conflict. Accessed 2026-09-15.

Updated .

This guide is informational and does not determine whether a policy is available or meets your needs. Editorial policy. To suggest a correction, contact Spot with a supporting source.

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