Terms Used In Hawaii Revised Statutes > Chapter 490 > Article 1 - General Provisions

• Aeronautics: means the science and art of flight, including but not limited to transportation by aircraft; the operation, construction, repair, or maintenance of aircraft, aircraft power plants and accessories, including the repair, packing, and maintenance of parachutes; the design, establishment, construction, extension, operation, improvement, repair, or maintenance of airports, or other air navigation facilities; and instruction in flying or ground subjects pertaining thereto. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 261-1
• Affidavit: A written statement of facts confirmed by the oath of the party making it, before a notary or officer having authority to administer oaths.
• Aircraft: means any contrivance now known or hereafter invented, used or designed for navigation of or flight in the air. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 261-1
• Airport: means any area of land or water which is used, or intended for use, for the landing and takeoff of aircraft, and any appurtenant areas which are used, or intended for use, for airport buildings or other airport facilities or rights-of-way, including approaches, together with all airport buildings and facilities located thereon. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 261-1
• Amendment: A proposal to alter the text of a pending bill or other measure by striking out some of it, by inserting new language, or both. Before an amendment becomes part of the measure, thelegislature must agree to it.
• Appraisal: A determination of property value.
• Assessment: means funds collected by an association from association members to operate and manage the association, maintain property within the planned community for the common use or benefit of association members, or provide services to association members. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 421J-2
• Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.
• Association: means a nonprofit, incorporated, or unincorporated organization:

  (1) Upon which responsibilities are imposed and to which authority is granted in a declaration that governs a planned community;

  (2) That is a planned community association as defined under section 607-14; or

  (3) That is a homeowners' association, in which:

  (A) The voting membership is made up of ten or more parcel owners or their proxies, or a combination thereof; and

  (B) Assessments may be imposed that, if unpaid, may become a lien on the parcel. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 421J-2

• Association documents: means the articles of incorporation or other document creating the association, if any, the bylaws of the association, the declaration or similar organizational documents and any exhibits thereto, any rules related to use of common areas, architectural control, maintenance of units, restrictions on the use of units, or payment of money as a regular assessment or otherwise in connection with the provisions, maintenance, or services for the benefit of some or all of the units, the owners, or occupants of the units or the common areas, as well as any amendments made to the foregoing documents. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 421J-2
• Bankruptcy: Refers to statutes and judicial proceedings involving persons or businesses that cannot pay their debts and seek the assistance of the court in getting a fresh start. Under the protection of the bankruptcy court, debtors may discharge their debts, perhaps by paying a portion of each debt. Bankruptcy judges preside over these proceedings.
• board: means the executive board or other body, regardless of name, designated in the association documents to act on behalf of the association. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 421J-2
• Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
• Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
• Counterclaim: A claim that a defendant makes against a plaintiff.
• Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
• Declaration: means any recorded association document, however denominated, that imposes obligations on the owners of the units with respect to maintenance or operational responsibilities for the common area, architectural control, maintenance of units, or restrictions on the use of units. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 421J-2
• Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
• Department: means the department of transportation. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 261-1
• Director: means the director of transportation. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 261-1
• Equitable: Pertaining to civil suits in "equity" rather than in "law." In English legal history, the courts of "law" could order the payment of damages and could afford no other remedy. See damages. A separate court of "equity" could order someone to do something or to cease to do something. See, e.g., injunction. In American jurisprudence, the federal courts have both legal and equitable power, but the distinction is still an important one. For example, a trial by jury is normally available in "law" cases but not in "equity" cases. ^{Source: U.S. Courts}
• Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
• Executor: A male person named in a will to carry out the decedent
• Fair market value: The price at which an asset would change hands in a transaction between a willing, informed buyer and a willing, informed seller.
• Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
• Foreclosure: A legal process in which property that is collateral or security for a loan may be sold to help repay the loan when the loan is in default. ^{Source: OCC}
• Forgery: The fraudulent signing or alteration of another's name to an instrument such as a deed, mortgage, or check. The intent of the forgery is to deceive or defraud. ^{Source: OCC}
• Fraud: Intentional deception resulting in injury to another.
• Gift: A voluntary transfer or conveyance of property without consideration, or for less than full and adequate consideration based on fair market value.
• Grantor: The person who establishes a trust and places property into it.
• Guarantor: A party who agrees to be responsible for the payment of another party's debts should that party default. ^{Source: OCC}
• Interest rate: The amount paid by a borrower to a lender in exchange for the use of the lender's money for a certain period of time. Interest is paid on loans or on debt instruments, such as notes or bonds, either at regular intervals or as part of a lump sum payment when the issue matures. ^{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.
• Lease: A contract transferring the use of property or occupancy of land, space, structures, or equipment in consideration of a payment (e.g., rent). ^{Source: OCC}
• Lien: A claim against real or personal property in satisfaction of a debt.
• Member: means the person or persons owning a unit or having the right of occupancy of a unit under a recorded lease having a term of twenty or more years from its commencement date; or anyone included in the definition of a member under the association documents, including the developer, whether or not the developer owns a unit. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 421J-2
• month: means a calendar month; and the word "year" a calendar year. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 1-20
• Mortgage: The written agreement pledging property to a creditor as collateral for a loan.
• Mortgagee: The person to whom property is mortgaged and who has loaned the money.
• Mortgagor: The person who pledges property to a creditor as collateral for a loan and who receives the money.
• Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
• Partnership: A voluntary contract between two or more persons to pool some or all of their assets into a business, with the agreement that there will be a proportional sharing of profits and losses.
• Person: means an individual, firm, corporation, partnership, association, trust or other legal entity, or any combination thereof. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 421J-2
• Person: means any individual, firm, partnership, corporation, company, association, joint stock association, or body politic; and includes any trustee, receiver, assignee, or other similar representative thereof. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 261-1
• Personal property: All property that is not real property.
• Plaintiff: The person who files the complaint in a civil lawsuit.
• Planned community: means one of the following:

  (1) Real property, other than a condominium or a cooperative housing corporation or a time share plan, that is subject to a planned community association as defined under section 607-14; or

  (2) A common interest community, other than a condominium or a cooperative housing corporation or a time share plan, which includes all of the following characteristics:

  (A) Real property subject to a recorded declaration placing restrictions and obligations on the owners of the real property that are enforced or enforceable by a separate entity, the association, established for that purpose whether or not mentioned in the declaration, and:

  (i) That owns and maintains certain property within the planned community for the common use or benefit, or both, of the owners of units within the planned community;

  (ii) That is obligated to maintain certain property it does not own within the planned community for the common use or benefit, or both, of the owners of units within the planned community; or

  (iii) That is obligated to provide services to any such owners or units;

  (B) Individual owners own separate units that are part of a planned community at least some of which are improved by or are to be improved by residential dwellings;

  (C) Owners have automatic and non-severable membership in an association by virtue of ownership of units within the planned community; and

  (D) Owners, other than a master developer or declarant, are obligated by any association document to pay mandatory assessments by virtue of ownership of a unit within the planned community. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 421J-2

• Quorum: The number of legislators that must be present to do business.
• Real property: Land, and all immovable fixtures erected on, growing on, or affixed to the land.
• Recorded: means recorded or filed in the bureau of conveyances of the State or in the office of the assistant registrar of the land court of the State, as appropriate. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 421J-2
• Rescission: The cancellation of budget authority previously provided by Congress. The Impoundment Control Act of 1974 specifies that the President may propose to Congress that funds be rescinded. If both Houses have not approved a rescission proposal (by passing legislation) within 45 days of continuous session, any funds being withheld must be made available for obligation.
• Trustee: A person or institution holding and administering property in trust.
• Uniform Commercial Code: A set of statutes enacted by the various states to provide consistency among the states' commercial laws. It includes negotiable instruments, sales, stock transfers, trust and warehouse receipts, and bills of lading. ^{Source: OCC}
• Unit: means a physical portion of the planned community designated for separate ownership or occupancy. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 421J-2