§231-30 Unknown or nonresident delinquents; procedure to collect taxes from. Notwithstanding section 604-7(c):

(1) Unknown persons. In all cases where taxes assessed to persons unknown are delinquent and unpaid when due, action may be brought by the department of taxation in the district court of the circuit in which the assessment was made and the defendant may be named as unknown. In any such case, it shall be a good and sufficient service of summons, binding on all parties in interest, if under the order of the district court the title and the substance of the action and summons, including a return day not less than three weeks from the date of the issuance of such summons, and calling on all parties in interest to appear and defend, shall be published once a week for three consecutive weeks in some newspaper of general circulation in the State, and the district courts are given jurisdiction to order the service. In the summons and in the notice published, a brief description of the property assessed shall be given. Any judgment entered against the defendant shall be enforced only against the property for which the tax was assessed, unless the defendant has appeared in the action and defended on the merits, in which case the defendant shall be liable to a personal judgment with respect to the claim so defended.

(2) Nonresident delinquents. Where taxes assessed to nonresidents of the taxation district are delinquent and unpaid when due, service of summons may be made in any part of the State, or by exercise by the district court of the powers conferred on circuit courts with respect to defendants who cannot be served with process within the State, with the same effect as if the action had been brought in the circuit court. [L 1932 2d, c 40, §70; RL 1935, §1964; RL 1945, §5132; RL 1955, §115-35; am L Sp 1959 2d, c 1, §16; am L 1967, c 37, §1; HRS §231-30; am L 1973, c 133, §2; gen ch 1985]