Hawaii · Chapter COOP
Hawaii Cooperative Housing Corporations Act (HRS Chapter 421I) — Plain-English Summary
Every section of this body of law translated into plain English for Hawaii board members and homeowners.
General
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§421I-1
A cooperative housing corporation under this chapter has one class of stock, lets a tenant-shareholder occupy a dwelling only by owning that stock, generally…
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§421I-2
Co-op bylaws may be amended only by the affirmative vote or written consent of at least two-thirds of the shareholders.
Board
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§421I-3
A meeting to elect the board is due 180 days after the first dwelling is conveyed if 40 percent of the dwellings have been conveyed; if not within a year, ow…
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§421I-4
A proxy is valid only for that meeting and its adjournments. It must name the corporation, the meeting date, the signing shareholder, and the dwelling unit o…
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§421I-5
Board meetings are open except listed executive-session topics. The board meets at least once a year. Notice is posted in prominent locations at least 72 hou…
Records
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§421I-6
Approved current financials and the latest board minutes are available at no cost or on 24-hour loan. This year's and last year's board and shareholder minut…
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§421I-7
The resident manager, managing agent, or board keeps a current shareholder (and agreement-of-sale vendee) name-and-address list. A copy is available at cost …
Assessments
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§421I-8
The board must notify shareholders in writing at least 30 days before any increase in assessments for common expenses.
Disputes
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§421I-10
This chapter does not excuse a cooperative housing corporation from any other applicable law.
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§421I-11
The Hawaii Business Corporation Act (chapter 414) applies to cooperative housing corporations except where it conflicts with this chapter. Co-ops are not pac…
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§421I-12
With a signed authorization, the board or manager may run a background check on an applicant for security guard, manager, or any job with unit-key or corpora…
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§421I-13
The board must adopt a policy giving process servers reasonable access, as HRS §634-21.5 requires.
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§421I-9
At any party's request, a documents or chapter 421I dispute first goes to mediation. If mediation fails, it goes to arbitration on the same terms that apply …
Frequently asked about Chapter COOP
- What is Hawaii Chapter COOP?
- Hawaii Chapter COOP — the Hawaii Cooperative Housing Corporations Act (HRS Chapter 421I) — is the body of law that governs how every Hawaii co-op is structured, operated, and held accountable. It covers governance, voting, records, assessments, fining, and most of the day-to-day legal questions a board will face.
- How many sections are in Chapter COOP?
- Chapter COOP contains 13 sections in this reference. Each is summarized in plain English on its own page, with links to the official text at capitol.hawaii.gov.
- Is the summary on this site legal advice?
- No. These pages are plain-English summaries prepared by SoShiny for board members and managers. For binding legal advice or interpretation of how a section applies to your specific situation, consult a Hawaii-licensed attorney.
- How often does Hawaii Chapter COOP change?
- The Hawaii State Legislature can amend any chapter in any session. We update these summaries when we re-import the official text — see the 'Last updated' date on each section page.
- Does SoShiny enforce Chapter COOP for me?
- No software 'enforces' a statute — but SoShiny is built around it. Voting, meeting minutes, records access, fining workflow, and audit trails are designed to meet this body of law's requirements out of the box, so the board can demonstrate good-faith compliance if challenged.
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