Contractor Gone ยท Hawaii
Contractor gone in Hawaii: where the money can come from
Hawaii's Contractors Recovery Fund pays up to $12,500 per contract after an unpaid judgment against a licensed contractor, and RICO takes the licensing complaint. Small claims tops out at $5,000, so larger deposits go to District Court's regular docket first.
The four paths in Hawaii
| Card chargeback | Same in every state. Dispute for services not rendered within 120 days of the promised completion, no later than 540 days after the payment. Each payment has its own clock. |
| State fund | Contractors Recovery Fund, Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Regulated Industries Complaints Office (RICO). Cap: $12,500 per contract; $25,000 per contractor. Precondition: Licensed contractor; a court judgment that goes unpaid. Deadline: confirm. verified Agency page |
| Bankruptcy claim | If the company filed, a proof of claim (Official Form 410) with the court by the bar date. A deposit for personal or household services is a priority claim up to $3,800 for cases filed on or after April 1, 2025 (11 U.S.C. 507(a)(7)); the rest is general unsecured. |
| Lien exposure: Confirm | Ask any sub for its notice and proof before treating a lien threat as real. confirm |
Is the contractor licensed?
Licensed by the DCCA Contractors License Board. Look up the license. Pool contractors hold a specialty license.
Deposits and the contract
No statute caps deposits or sets a refund clock. confirm
Small claims
District Court, small claims, generally up to $5,000 as of 2025; confirm the current limit on the court's site before filing. Above the cap, the regular civil docket, where a lawyer is optional but usual. confirm
In order
- Pull the contract, every receipt, and your card or bank statements. The contract page shows where each number lives.
- Check the license at the link above. Licensed opens the fund; unlicensed means small claims and a report to the licensing body.
- If you paid by card, call the issuer today and open a dispute for services not rendered. The window closes; everything else waits.
- Send the demand letter by certified mail. It starts the clock the licensing body and the court will want to see.
- File the complaint with Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Regulated Industries Complaints Office (RICO). The fund claim hangs off it.
- Search PACER for the company. A bankruptcy filing stops the letters and the lawsuit and replaces them with a proof of claim.
- Answer any subcontractor notice in writing with proof of what you paid. Ask any sub for its notice and proof before treating a lien threat as real.
The paperwork, done
The Contractor Gone kit, $39, fills every letter and form above with your facts: the chargeback script, the demand letter with Hawaii's deposit rule cited, the licensing complaint, the fund application, the lien-defense letter, the proof of claim worksheet, and a checklist for hiring the contractor who finishes the job. What's in it, or run the check first; the answers carry into the kit.
Page written 2026-09-07. Rows marked verified were read on the agency page or statute on the date shown in the data; rows marked confirm are from general knowledge and should be checked with the agency. Spot an error? Email jon@homestillworks.com and it gets fixed the same day.