Statute of limitations for sexual assault in Hawaii

Rule or statute summary

In Hawaii, the general statute of limitations (SOL) for sexual assault-related criminal prosecutions is 5 years under Hawaii’s general criminal SOL rule: Hawaii Revised Statutes § 701-108(2)(d). DocketMath’s statute-of-limitations calculator uses that general/default 5-year period when no claim-type-specific exception applies.

Important: The underlying statutory text referenced here did not reveal a claim-type-specific sub-rule for a particular label/category of sexual assault. So the 5-year period should be treated as the general/default rule, not a special shorter/longer deadline tied to a specific sexual assault “type.”

What the 5-year SOL means in practice

If you’re building a timeline for potential charging deadlines, the general approach is:

1. Pick the event “trigger” date
   This is the date the SOL is measured from (often the date of the alleged offense, depending on the statute’s trigger language and the facts).

2. Add 5 years
   Under the general rule, the latest filing/charging cutoff is calculated by adding the 5-year SOL period to the chosen trigger date.

3. Understand how changes affect the result

   • If the calculator uses a different start/trigger date (for example, a later date you provide), your computed deadline will shift accordingly because the SOL period itself stays at 5 years under the general rule.
   • While some cases may involve tolling or exception arguments, this guide focuses on the general/default 5-year period identified in the cited statute—not on fact-specific tolling doctrines.

Gentle note: SOL outcomes can depend on detailed statutory “trigger” language and on any tolling/exception issues that may apply to the specific case. This snapshot is meant to help you understand the general/default 5-year timeline and to use the calculator effectively.

Where DocketMath fits

Use DocketMath’s statute-of-limitations tool to convert the Hawaii general SOL period into a specific calendar deadline. The tool is best thought of as “SOL math” based on the statute’s general rule, using inputs you provide (especially the start date).

Citations

Use these sources to confirm the authoritative text before finalizing the calculation.

• Haw. Rev. Stat. § 657-1

If an assumption is uncertain, document it alongside the calculation so the result can be re-run later.

Capture the source for each input so another team member can verify the same result quickly.

Hawaii general SOL rule (5 years)

The general SOL framework for criminal offenses in Hawaii is set out in Hawaii Revised Statutes § 701-108. The 5-year general period is listed at:

• Hawaii Revised Statutes § 701-108(2)(d) — 5 years
  Source: https://codes.findlaw.com/hi/division-5-crimes-and-criminal-proceedings/hi-rev-st-sect-701-108/

No claim-type-specific sub-rule found: Based on the statutory reference above, there is not a separate, claim-type-specific SOL period identified for particular sexual assault labels here. Therefore, the 5-year period is treated as the default/general deadline in this snapshot.

Quick example (timeline math)

If you enter:

• Start date: January 15, 2020
  and you apply the general/default 5-year SOL, then the deadline (by basic addition) would be:
• January 15, 2025

Inputs to enter (and what they change)

1. **Start date (trigger date)

   • This is the date you want the 5-year SOL period to begin running from in your timeline.
   • Effect of changing it: because the SOL period is fixed at 5 years under the general rule, changing the start date changes the deadline by the same amount of time.

2. Jurisdiction

   • Select Hawaii (US-HI) so the calculator applies Hawaii’s general criminal SOL period.

3. Rule selection

   • Choose the default/general rule corresponding to Hawaii REV. STAT. § 701-108(2)(d) (5 years).
   • This matches the guidance that no claim-type-specific sub-rule was found in the referenced material for a different SOL period.

Output you should expect

If the calculator applies the general rule as described, your computed deadline will be:

• Deadline date = Start date + 5 years
  (subject to whatever date-handling conventions the tool uses)

Use the calculator

Use DocketMath’s statute-of-limitations calculator (jurisdiction US-HI) to compute a deadline date from a start/trigger date using the general 5-year SOL.

Run the Statute Of Limitations calculation in DocketMath, then save the output so it can be audited later: Open the calculator.

Primary CTA

Use DocketMath here:

• /tools/statute-of-limitations

Related reading

• Choosing the right statute of limitations tool for Vermont — How to choose the right calculator
• Statute of limitations in Singapore: how to estimate the deadline — Full how-to guide with jurisdiction-specific rules
• Choosing the right statute of limitations tool for Connecticut — How to choose the right calculator