Honolulu County Court Records

Honolulu County court records are permanent documentation of all cases heard in the county's various courts. They encompass a wide range of information collected at various stages of legal proceedings and exist in various formats,including electronic and paper. Different legal documents, such as motions, transcripts, exhibits, dockets, judgments, and orders are classified as court records.

They are preserved permanently by the clerk of each court and are classified as public records, unless expressly instructed otherwise by a court order or statute. Depending on the case type, a court record may relate to or contain other public records, e.g., police reports and marriage information. Court records are vital to preserving judicial history and legal precedence. They also serve as informational aid to interested or concerned members of the public.

Are Honolulu County Court Records Public?

Yes. Honolulu County court records are public under the Uniform Information Practices Act (UIPA). This law instructs court record custodians to make them available upon requests made during business hours. However, certain records designated as confidential are exempt from the provisions of this ACT. This may be due to provisions under another law or privacy concerns for the case parties.

Also, records on cases considered sensitive are usually restricted from public access, and may only be released with prior court approval, written authorization by a case party, or the request is made by a case party. Examples include adoption, delinquency, and guardianship records. Other information that are considered non-public and are redacted from public copies include addresses, proprietary information, and social security numbers.

What Information is Available in Honolulu County Court Records?

Court records provide a comprehensive overview of cases, specifically information about the case parties, the specifics of the case in question, documents filed by parties and created by the court clerk as the case progresses through hearings, and documentation of the court's decisions and actions. Information that may be found while inspecting court records varies with the case type. See the table below for general information found in various Honolulu County court records:

Honolulu County Court Records Search

Hawaii's State Judiciary permits three methods of accessing court records created and maintained by the state's courts:

• Online Access - this is the no-cost option available on the state judiciary's website, although some records are downloadable in pdf format at $3/per page.
• Visit a Courthouse - if a record seeker has the case number and the title or sufficient description of the record in question, they may visit the presiding courthouse in person to view or purchase copies.
• Submit a Written Request by Mail - individuals may request records through a written request sent by mail to the Honolulu courthouse where a case was filed.

Fees for Court Records in Honolulu County

The fees for obtaining Honolulu County court records vary depending on the number of copies and the requested record format. In line with HRS § 607-5, fees range from $1.00 to $10 per page. An additional fee of $10.00 may be assessed for expedited requests.

Honolulu County Courthouse Locations

Honolulu County court system consists of circuit, family, and district courts. These courts serve as trial courts with distinct jurisdictions. The county's circuit district court has general jurisdiction over all types of civil and criminal cases; district courts handle certain criminal cases and civil cases in which the disputed amount does not exceed $10,000. Family courts handle family law matters, such as paternity, domestic violence, child support, adoption, and divorce.

Appeals from these courts go to the Hawaii Supreme Court and the Intermediate Court of Appeals. See below for court addresses and phone numbers.

Criminal Records Access in Honolulu County

Criminal cases are handled by the county's district and circuit courts, and all associated records are created and maintained by each courthouse clerk. Note that the criminal records discussed here are different from criminal history records maintained by the Hawaii Criminal Justice Data Center, although they both can be used to check if a person has a criminal record in Honolulu. The Honolulu Police Department also maintains a similar criminal record repository.

Honolulu criminal court records in which the defendant has been convicted are public and can be obtained from the clerk of the district or circuit court that tried the case during business hours. See the previous header for court contact information. Records are also available online via the statewide eCourt portal.

The criminal history record check, available through the state's Criminal Justice Data Center, enables interested parties to conduct name-based or fingerprint-based background checks. There are different fees for this service based on the request type. Name-based checks cost $30.00 while fingerprint-based checks cost $55.00. Payment methods are cashier's checks and money orders.

Interested parties should fill out the designated Request for Criminal History Check form or visit the agency during office hours: Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Honolulu County Probate Records

Matters of probate in Honolulu are filed and heard at the county's circuit court and include cases related to conservatorships, wills, guardianships, trusts, mental health proceedings, and estate administration. While probate records are generally presumed public, probate matters usually involve information that is often regarded as sensitive, such as cases pertaining to guardianship and mental health proceedings.

As such, there may be strict regulations on some of these records, although they always remain accessible to case parties. As a general rule, record seekers should first inspect the state judiciary's eCourt portal. If they find the needed record there, they may assume such a record to be public and proceed to obtain the complete record (if needed) from the courthouse.

Honolulu County Family Court Records

Honolulu Family Court handles family law cases, including those pertaining to child custody, divorce, adoption, and child support. The court has a clerk who is in charge of maintaining records and facilitating public access upon request. Per UIPA, these records are public. However, exceptions apply for sensitive cases, such as adoption and dependency records.

Public family records are available through the court clerk's office or the eCourt portal. Search fees may be assessed, plus additional costs for certified copies. To find information on any non-confidential case, a person should have sufficient descriptive information about the case, a case party's name, or the case file/docket number. While in-person record requests are usually processed and completed the same day, one should expect longer processing periods for records that have been moved to archives.

Federal Court Records in Honolulu County

Federal court cases include civil rights violations, federal criminal prosecutions, constitutional matters, bankruptcy appeals, and admiralty disputes. Such cases originating from Honolulu County fall under the jurisdiction of the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii, located at 300 Ala Moana Blvd, C-338, Honolulu, HI, 96850. Record seekers may obtain records for cases filed in this court through the court clerk's office or online through the Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) system.

A person is required to register on the PACER system and pay the stipulated fee to access records online. This service costs $0.10 per page, with the cost for a single document capped at $3.00. Searches are done using a case party's name or the case number.