How to Look Up Court Records in Hawaii
Where Hawaii court records live and how to search them — the official judiciary site, the statewide portal where one exists, and what is public versus sealed.
How to Search Hawaii Court Records Online
Hawaii has a unified, statewide court system with trial-level district and circuit courts, an Intermediate Court of Appeals, and the Hawaii Supreme Court as the highest court. Case records are accessed through the Judiciary's Ho'ohiki and eCourt Kokua public access systems, described on the Judiciary's records pages.
Hawaii does not publish a single statewide public case search, so records are held at the local court level. Use the official Hawaii State Judiciary site to find the right court, then use that court or county clerk's own search. Our guide to finding county court records walks through identifying the right clerk of court.
Are Hawaii Court Records Public?
Most case records are public, but juvenile, sealed, and confidential matters are restricted. Online case search is free; certified copies carry a fee. These records are provided for general reference and are not a consumer report; they must not be used for employment, tenant, or credit screening governed by the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA).
Criminal, Civil, and Family Court Records
Hawaii's trial courts hear criminal, civil, family, and probate matters, and the public search generally covers the same categories — with the confidential ones held back. Juvenile cases, adoptions, and many family matters are restricted by law, and sealed or expunged records do not appear at all. When a case does not turn up, that is often the system protecting a restricted record rather than a gap in the portal.
Searching by Name or Case Number
A case number pulls a single case directly and is the fastest route when you have it. A name search returns everyone who matches, so narrow it by filing date, court, and case type to separate people who share a name. A middle initial or an approximate year often turns a long list into one clear result.
Getting Copies and Certified Records
Reading a docket online is usually free, but an official or certified copy — the kind an agency or employer will accept — comes from the clerk of the court that holds the file, and typically carries a per-page or per-document fee. Order certified copies from the court itself, not a third-party site. These are court records for informational lookups, not a background-screening product, and may not be used for employment, tenant, or credit decisions governed by the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA).
Court systems rename portals, change fees, and adjust what they publish online without notice, so treat this page as a map, not the territory: for anything that matters, confirm the current rules with the court or the clerk's office directly.