Hawaii Revised Statutes

Haw. Rev. Stat. § 444-1 (2026)

Definitions

✓ current as of July 2026

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§444-1 Definitions. As used in this chapter:

"Board" means the contractors license board.

"Chlorofluorocarbon" or "CFC" means any member of the family of substances containing carbon, fluorine, and chlorine, including, without limitation, those compounds known as CFC-11, CFC-12, CFC-13, CFC-14, CFC-113, CFC-114, CFC-115, CFC-116, CFC-500, CFC-502, and CFC-503, and any combination or mixture containing any of these chlorofluorocarbon compounds.

"Contractor" means any person who by oneself or through others offers to undertake, or holds oneself out as being able to undertake, or does undertake to alter, add to, subtract from, improve, enhance, or beautify any realty or construct, alter, repair, add to, subtract from, improve, move, wreck, or demolish any building, highway, road, railroad, excavation, or other structure, project, development, or improvement, or do any part thereof, including the erection of scaffolding or other structures or works in connection therewith.

"Contractor", to the extent allowed under federal law includes a subcontractor, a specialty contractor, and any person, general engineering, general building, or specialty contractor who performs any of the activities listed in the previous paragraph directly or indirectly for the federal government.

"Department" means the department of commerce and consumer affairs.

"Director" means the director of commerce and consumer affairs.

"Hydrochlorofluorocarbon" or "HCFC" means any member of the family of substances containing hydrogen, carbon, fluorine, and chlorine, including, without limitation, those compounds known as HCFC-22 and HCFC-123 and any combination or mixture containing any of three hydrochlorofluorocarbon compounds.

"Investigator" means any person employed by the department of commerce and consumer affairs to investigate matters relating to any person who furnishes commodities or services for which a license is required from the department or any board or commission thereunder.

"Refrigerant recovery and recycling equipment" means a device used to recover and to purify CFCs from a device for later reuse.

"RME" means responsible managing employee.

"Sale" means any arrangement between two or more persons as a result of which there is, or is to be, a transfer of property for a consideration.

If any provision of this section, or the application thereof to any person, or circumstances, is held to be invalid, the invalidity shall not affect other provisions or applications of this section which can be given effect without the invalid provision or application, and to this end the provisions of this section are severable. [L 1957, c 305, §1(s 1); Supp, §166A-1; HRS §444-1; am L 1969, c 56, §1; am L 1970, c 203, §2; am L 1974, c 112, §1(2); am L 1983, c 274, §2; am L 1984, c 98, §1; gen ch 1985; am L 1989, c 77, §9; am L 1990, c 316, §7; am L 1992, c 202, §62 and c 264, §8; am L 2000, c 286, §3]

Note

Definition of "state resident" for purposes of federal construction employment preferences. L 2000, c 286, §§1, 2.

Cross References

Ozone layer protection; CFCs, see chapter 342C.

Case Notes

Honolulu ordinances setting forth requirements for issuance of electrical contractor's license are invalid under §70-105, since this chapter indicates legislative intent to be the exclusive legislation applicable to contractors. 52 H. 550, 481 P.2d 116 (1971).

Notes of Decisions

Cited in 5 cases, 1985–2013 · leading case: Wagner v. World Botanical Gardens, Inc., 268 P.3d 443 (Haw. App. 2011).

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Wagner v. World Botanical Gardens, Inc., 268 P.3d 443 (Haw. App. 2011). · cites it 2× “HRS § 444-1 (Supp.2010). HRS § 444-9 (1993 Repl.”

E. Star, Inc. v. Union Bldg. Materials Corp., 712 P.2d 1148 (Haw. App. 1985). · cites it 2× “7 In early 1979, Alfred Cambra transferred his general building contractor’s license to UBM and became UBM’s “responsible managing employee,”see HRS § 444-1(5) (1976), in consideration of receiving one percent of the contract price of each project for which his license was used.”

Shultz v. Lujan, 948 P.2d 558 (Haw. App. 1997). · cites it 4× “HRS § 444-1 provides: "Contractor” means any person who by oneself or through others offers to undertake, or holds oneself out as being able to undertake, or does undertake to alter, add to, subtract from, improve, enhance, or beautify any realty or construct, alter, repair, add…”

Dist. Council 50 of the Int'l Union of Painters & Allied Trades v. Lopez., 298 P.3d 1045 (Haw. 2013). · cites it 2× “HRS § 444-1 (1993) defines a "contractor” as: any person who by oneself or through others offers to undertake, or holds oneself out as being able to undertake, or does undertake to alter, add to, subtract from, improve, enhance, or beautify any realty or construct, alter,…”

Geothermal Resource Grp., Inc. v. Puna Geothermal Venture, 216 F. Supp. 2d 1133 (D. Haw. 2001). · cites it 5× “Haw.Rev.Stat. § 444-1 (1998). Section 444-2 provides an exemption for “professional engineers] acting solely in [their] professional capacity.”

— Haw. Rev. Stat. § 444-1(5) — 1 case

E. Star, Inc. v. Union Bldg. Materials Corp., 712 P.2d 1148 (Haw. App. 1985). “7 In early 1979, Alfred Cambra transferred his general building contractor’s license to UBM and became UBM’s “responsible managing employee,”see HRS § 444-1(5) (1976), in consideration of receiving one percent of the contract price of each project for which his license was used.”

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