Hawaii Public Records | Public Records Hawaii

If you need help locating public documents in Hawaii, this article offers all the information you'd need to begin and complete your search with excellent results.

Public Records in Hawaii

Hawaiian public records are written, printed, or digitized documents generated, received, and maintained by public officers and organizations. It comprises vital, court, criminal, property ownership, and driving records of events and persons in Hawaii.

Hawaii formally created its first public record in 1975 when it signed the Hawaii Uniform Information Practices Act (UIPA) into law. The measure sealed the public's right to access public records in stone. Since then, residents and non-residents have been able to access, inspect, and copy much-needed information in public record systems.

With a simple FOIA request in person to a Hawaii public-private agency or a quick search online through private and third-party sources, you will receive access to credible and certified records in the state. Understand that not all public records are available online, but what you can't get on a virtual database will be within the confines of the agency's registry.

Stacks of files and paperwork placed in bookshelves with folders and documents in cardboard box archive

Accessing Open Records in Hawaii: Everything You Should Know

According to the Hawaiian Office of Information Practices, public agencies in the state must make government records available for all to inspect or copy. These agencies can only refuse to grant this access when the record possesses sensitive information that the government doesn't want to disclose.

Such records include records on ongoing prosecution lawsuits, quasi-judicial actions between the state government and local council, and every other document that may cause an unwarranted invasion of a citizen's privacy.

Accessing Criminal Records in Hawaii

Criminal records reveal a search subject's criminal conviction records, jail and bail status, court verdicts, and pending charges.
The first place you should check when searching for public criminal records in Hawaii is the eCrim website. It is an online database managed by the Hawaii Criminal Justice Data Center. The center also manages the Sex Offender and Other Covered Offender Registry. What to expect from criminal records in Hawaii includes the search subjects':

● Mugshot
● Date of birth
● Current and previous addresses
● Previous arrests records
● Fingerprints
● Outstanding arrest warrants

Note that the state charges a fixed fee of $5.00 for each unique search you run on the site, while you could pay as much as $10.00 for requested reports.

Accessing Court Records in Hawaii

Hawaiian court records reveal public information about civil and criminal cases treated at the criminal, circuit, and district courts. To obtain court records in Hawaii, visit the courts where the case was held. You can use the search tool on the Hawaii State Judiciary eCourt Kokua. However, you can only use the online tool if the issue occurred between October 2019 and to present.
The department regularly uploads search court records like free warrant searches and marriage records on eCourt Kokua. You can access this online database using the search subject's name, case type, and filing date.

If you will be making a significant number of public court record searches, purchasing a non-refundable subscription to the eCourt Kokua system at $125 for a quarter or $500 for a year is best. Meanwhile, you can access the records freely if you visit the state's courthouse. Note that making physical copies cost $0.10 per page with a minimum charge of $3.00.

3D illustration of a file hovering over a hand

Juvenile Criminal Court Records in Hawaii

The law mandates all juvenile criminal records to remain sealed except the requestor submits a court order and provides a compelling reason for requesting the document. Most Hawaii juvenile data qualify for expungement when the search subject attains 21 years of age. Once the records get cleared and the offender doesn't repeat offenses, the person will have a new criminal record.

Accessing Bankruptcy Records in Hawaii

The United States Federal judiciary system keeps and updates Hawaii bankruptcy records on the Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) system. To access these records, create a PACER account and request downloadable copies of documents at $0.10 per page.

PACER doesn't have comprehensive details of older bankruptcy cases, but you can access these through the Federal Government National Archive database.

Accessing Vital Records in Hawaii

The Hawaii Department of Health creates and maintains all vital records in the state, including marriage, birth, death, and divorce certificates. Although these records remain inaccessible to non-family members for 75 years after the event, you can request the file directly with court orders and solid reasons.

To get a physical copy of the records, you can visit the departments on weekdays at the Office of Health Status Monitoring – Issuance/Vital Statistics Section, P.O. Box 3378, Honolulu, HI 96801, or send an issuance query email. You could also call the department at (808) 586-4539. You will unavoidably pay a fee of $10.00 for each copy you request and an administrative charge of $2.50 if you request above five copies.

The state health department also offers online services, known as eHawaii, for birth and marriage checks, although the database only contains records from July 1909 to date.

Picking file from document archive over black background

What Makes Accessing Hawaii Public Records Easier?

Hawaii public offices offer online records directories for you and other requestors to access arrest, criminal, jail, bankruptcies, judgments, property ownership, and further general details without coming to the main office. With a person's first and last name and location, you can swiftly search through thousands of records on these databases.

Almost every public office and private source request fees before processing your application. It's all good to have the little costs before attempting to begin your search, or you may write to the offices for fee waivers if you can't afford it.

Public Records Hawaii: What else should you know?

Third-party public records search websites are better and faster sources of finding public records in Hawaii. Truepeoplesearch.io, our number one public records search engine tool, offers Hawaii's most accurate and detailed public records. What's more? You can access the site from anywhere in the United States!