Honolulu County closing costs
The county-specific transfer tax and deed recording fees for Honolulu County, Hawaii - the local details that change your total beyond the statewide rate.
- Effective transfer tax
- 0.1%
- ≈ $400 on a $400,000 home
- Typical lender + 3rd-party fees
- $12,472
- median of 4,954 purchase loans · HMDA 2023
Honolulu County compared with Hawaii counties
In the verified Hawaii county records we have, Honolulu County's effective transfer-tax rate ranks #1 of 1 by highest rate. At $400,000, the county-specific transfer tax is $400, which is the same as the state-level calculation before city surtaxes.
- County rank
- #1 of 1
- within verified Hawaii county pages
- Tax at $400,000
- $400
- state baseline $400
- HMDA fee sample
- 4,954
- purchase loans in 2023
Honolulu County transfer-tax data: official source linked on this page, reviewed 2026-Q2.
Transfer tax in Honolulu County
Hawaii's only real-estate transfer tax is the STATE conveyance tax (HRS Chapter 247), customarily paid by the SELLER; there is NO Honolulu county or city transfer tax on top of it. State rate is tiered by price: non-owner-occupant buyers pay $0.15 per $100 (0.0015) up to $600k rising to $1.25 per $100 (0.0125) over $10M; buyers who qualify for the county homeowner (owner-occupant) exemption pay the lower tier, $0.10 per $100 (0.0010) up to $600k rising to $1.00 per $100 (0.0100) over $10M. The county homeowner exemption only changes which STATE rate tier applies — it is not a separate county levy. Honolulu County is the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, coterminous with the island of Oahu.
Recording fees in Honolulu County
Recording is handled statewide by the Hawaii Bureau of Conveyances (a single state agency; Hawaii has NO separate county recorders). Flat per-document fees (not per-page up to 50 pages). Regular System: $41.00 per document up to 50 pages, $106.00 if 51+ pages. Land Court System: $36.00 per document up to 50 pages, $101.00 if 51+ pages. Each property is in either the Regular System or Land Court System; dual-system properties may require recording in both, doubling the fee. Uncertified copies $1.00/page; certified copies $10.00 + $1.00/page + $10.00 processing; Certificate of Title issuance $50.00. (Effective 2/27/2017, still current.)
Official recorder: Honolulu County recorder ↗ — the authoritative source for the current recording fee schedule.
What lenders actually charge in Honolulu County
Across 4,954 home-purchase mortgages originated in Honolulu County in 2023, the median total loan costs — lender fees plus third-party services such as appraisal and title, excluding prepaids and escrow — were $12,472, of which about $6,042 was the lender’s own origination charges. That is reported loan-level data from every lender under the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act — not a national average — so it reflects what buyers in this county actually paid. Lender fees vary widely, so comparing a few rate quotes is the single biggest lever on your closing total.
Source: FFIEC HMDA Data Browser ↗ (2023 purchase originations, FIPS 15003, ODC-BY 1.0). Median total loan costs exclude prepaids and escrow.
Estimate your Honolulu County closing costs
Pre-set to Hawaii. County-level taxes above may add to this estimate.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the transfer tax in Honolulu County?
Honolulu County (Hawaii): the applicable real-estate transfer tax works out to about 0.1%. Hawaii's only real-estate transfer tax is the STATE conveyance tax (HRS Chapter 247), customarily paid by the SELLER; there is NO Honolulu county or city transfer tax on top of it. State rate is tiered by price: non-owner-occupant buyers pay $0.15 per $100 (0.0015) up to $600k rising to $1.25 per $100 (0.0125) over $10M; buyers who qualify for the county homeowner (owner-occupant) exemption pay the lower tier, $0.10 per $100 (0.0010) up to $600k rising to $1.00 per $100 (0.0100) over $10M. The county homeowner exemption only changes which STATE rate tier applies — it is not a separate county levy. Honolulu County is the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, coterminous with the island of Oahu.
What are recording fees in Honolulu County?
Recording is handled statewide by the Hawaii Bureau of Conveyances (a single state agency; Hawaii has NO separate county recorders). Flat per-document fees (not per-page up to 50 pages). Regular System: $41.00 per document up to 50 pages, $106.00 if 51+ pages. Land Court System: $36.00 per document up to 50 pages, $101.00 if 51+ pages. Each property is in either the Regular System or Land Court System; dual-system properties may require recording in both, doubling the fee. Uncertified copies $1.00/page; certified copies $10.00 + $1.00/page + $10.00 processing; Certificate of Title issuance $50.00. (Effective 2/27/2017, still current.)
How much are closing costs in Honolulu County?
Closing costs in Honolulu County follow Hawaii's structure plus this county's specific transfer-tax and recording fees. Use the calculator below for an estimate; for the exact recording schedule, the county recorder is the authoritative source.
What do lenders charge in fees in Honolulu County?
In 2023, the median total loan costs — lender fees plus third-party services like appraisal and title, excluding prepaids and escrow — across 4,954 home-purchase mortgages in Honolulu County were about $12,472, of which roughly $6,042 was the lender's own origination charges. This is reported loan-level data under the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act; actual fees vary by lender, so comparing quotes matters.