Kauai County, Hawaii Eviction Risk: Moderate

Kauai County scores 5.2/10 (Moderate) on the EvictionRiskMap eviction-risk scale, making it the least risky of Hawaii's four counties, ranked 4 of 4 statewide where rank 1 represents the highest risk. Across 23 cities in a county of roughly 69,169 residents, operating conditions are generally workable for landlords, though the island's tight rental market, with an average rent of $1,943 and a rent burden of 33%, means tenant financial stress is a real variable to monitor.

The intra-county risk range, 4.7 to 5.7, spans nearly a full point and a half, which is meaningful in a jurisdiction this small. A landlord choosing between the county's quieter west-side communities and its more pressured east-side corridors is effectively choosing between two different risk profiles, even though both sit under the same Hawaii eviction laws state legal framework.

The cities inside Kauai County

The highest-risk location in the county is Koloa, scoring 5.6/10, followed by Wailua Homesteads at 5.3/10 (population 5,431) and Anahola at 5.1/10. Kapaa, the county's largest city at 11,094 residents, comes in at 4.7/10, putting it in the moderate-risk band alongside Hanamaulu at the same score. These east-side communities tend to concentrate more of the county's renter population and show the conditions that push scores upward.

On the lower end, Puhi and Kekaha both score 5.3/10, with Kalaheo and Kilauea at 5.1/10. Lihue, the county seat, sits near the county average at 5.1/10. The spread makes clear that risk in Kauai County is hyper-local: the difference between a smooth tenancy cycle and a problematic one often comes down to which community a property sits in, not the county as a whole.

State-level laws that apply here

Every landlord in Kauai County operates under the Hawaii eviction laws Residential Landlord-Tenant Code, HRS § 521. For nonpayment of rent, the required notice period is 5 days. A lease-violation notice allowing cure requires 10 days, and a no-cause end-of-term notice requires 30 days. An uncontested eviction runs 30 to 60 days from filing to lockout; a contested case stretches to 75 to 150 days. Court filing fees range from $155 to $265, sheriff lockout fees from $50 to $200, and attorney fees from $750 to $3,500. Understanding the Hawaii eviction laws eviction process end to end before the first dispute saves landlords real money. Hawaii eviction costs, while not the highest in the nation, add up quickly once a case is contested.

State law preempts local rent control, so no Kauai County municipality can impose its own rent cap. Just-cause eviction is not required under Hawaii eviction laws statute, which preserves landlord flexibility at lease termination. Entry notice must be given at least 48 hours in advance, per HRS § 521. Hawaii security deposit limits and Hawaii tenant protections are governed statewide, keeping the rules consistent regardless of which city a rental unit sits in.

With a county poverty rate of 9% and a renter share of 30.8%, the tenant pool here is smaller than in Honolulu County but carries meaningful affordability stress at that $1,943 average rent; review the city grid above to compare scores across all 23 Kauai County communities before committing to a specific market.