Except as provided by law the board of land and natural resources through the chairperson shall:

(1) Maintain an accurate inventory of public lands;

Terms Used In Hawaii Revised Statutes 171-7

  • Board: means the board of land and natural resources. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 171-1
  • Chairperson: means the chairperson of the board of land and natural resources. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 171-1
  • Escheat: Reversion of real or personal property to the state when 1) a person dies without leaving a will and has no heirs, or 2) when the property (such as a bank account) has been inactive for a certain period of time. Source: OCC
  • Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
  • Land: includes all interests therein and natural resources including water, minerals, and all such things connected with land, unless otherwise expressly provided. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 171-1
(2) Prevent illegal activities on, unlawful occupation of, or trespassing on public lands;
(3) Cause all trespassers and persons unlawfully occupying public lands, and their effects, and all animals trespassing on the lands to be removed therefrom and to impound the animals according to law;
(4) Enter on any public land in order to take possession thereof, and to resume possession of any public land in case of surrender, forfeiture, or escheat;
(5) Enforce contracts respecting sales, leases, licenses, permits, or other disposition of public lands;
(6) Conduct all public auctions and sales pertaining to the disposition of public lands and other property authorized by the board;
(7) Recover money due the State for damage done to any public lands by wrongful entry and occupation or by wrongful removal therefrom or destruction of any property;
(8) Bring such actions and proceedings as may be necessary to carry out the powers and duties of the board in the name of the State and to defend such actions brought against the State as may be authorized;
(9) Keep a record of all official transactions, relating to public lands within the chairperson’s jurisdiction and such record shall be a public record;
(10) Administer oaths in all matters pertaining to the administration of the public lands.