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Hawaii public records: who holds what

In Hawaii, deeds are recorded by the Bureau of Conveyances, DLNR for the whole state; and requests for other government records fall under the Uniform Information Practices Act (Modified) (UIPA). Below: who holds every other record, what copies cost and the official link for each office.

Last checked against official sources on .

On this page
  1. Who holds what in Hawaii
  2. Public records law in Hawaii
  3. Property and tax records in Hawaii
  4. Probate records and wills in Hawaii
  5. How Hawaii organizes its records
  6. Other records: background checks, voters, businesses, maps
  7. Counties in Hawaii
  8. Warnings from official sources
  9. Official copies vs look-alike sites
  10. Official directories
  11. Sources

Who holds what in Hawaii

The office that keeps each record, and the fee the law or the office sets for a copy. Open a record type for the full rules, ordering steps and older records.

RecordWho holds itCopy fee
DeedsState, not county: the Bureau of Conveyances (BOC), Department of Land and Natural Resources, Honolulu, records all deeds statewide for both the Regular System and the Land Court (registered title) system; there are no county recorders.1$1.00 per page (uncertified), in person or by online download; online subscriptions: Unlimited $1,000/month or Public $50/month + $3 per document. Pre-1976 documents by written request: $35.00 per document + $10.00 processing fee.2
Property recordsEach of the four counties (Honolulu, Hawaii, Maui, Kauai) assesses and administers its own real property tax; e.g. City & County of Honolulu Department of Budget and Fiscal Services, Real Property Assessment Division.3—
Court recordsUnified state judiciary: Supreme Court, Intermediate Court of Appeals, and trial-level Circuit, Family and District Courts in four judicial circuits (First = Oahu; Second = Maui, Molokai, Lanai, Kahoolawe, Molokini; Third = Hawaii Island; Fifth = Kauai and Niihau). Records are held by each circuit's Legal Documents Branch.4Online (eCourt Kokua): $3 flat per document of 1-30 pages, $0.10 per page beyond 30; subscription $125/quarter or $500/year (non-refundable). At courthouse (HRS 607-5 schedule): name search by clerk $5.00 per name (1984-present unless specified); copies $1.00 first page, $0.50 each additional; microfilm copies $1.00/page; certification $2.00 per document; exemplification $4.00; off-site retrieval $5.00; electronic copy/audio $10.00; rush $10.00.5
Marriage recordsState Department of Health (Office of Health Status Monitoring, Vital Records) — not counties. Licenses are issued by DOH marriage license agents statewide (Oahu office at 201 Merchant St., Suite 100, Honolulu; neighbor-island agents by phone; private agents).6Certified copy: $10.00 first copy, $4.00 each additional copy (same certificate, same order), plus $2.50 General Administration Fee per increment of up to 5 copies (1 copy total $12.50). Letter of verification $5.7
Divorce recordsFamily Court of the circuit where the divorce was granted (Legal Documents Branch). Effective February 1, 2026, the Department of Health no longer maintains any divorce records or issues divorce certificates.8Court copy fees: $1.00 first page, $0.50 each additional page; certification $2.00 per document; clerk name search $5.00 (HRS 607-5 schedule).5
Birth certificatesState Department of Health, Office of Health Status Monitoring (Vital Records), Honolulu; neighbor-island District Health Offices assist (Hawaii Island, Maui County, Kauai).7$10.00 first certified copy, $4.00 each additional copy, plus $2.50 General Administration Fee per increment of up to 5 copies (1 copy = $12.50 total).9
Death certificatesState Department of Health, Office of Health Status Monitoring (Vital Records).10$10.00 first copy, $4.00 each additional copy of the same certificate ordered at the same time, plus $2.50 fee per increment of up to 5 certificates.10
Probate and willsCircuit Court of the circuit where the estate is administered (exclusive probate jurisdiction).11Copy/certification fees per the Judiciary schedule ($1.00 first page, $0.50 each additional; certification $2.00).5

Public records law in Hawaii

Uniform Information Practices Act (Modified) (UIPA) (Hawaii Revised Statutes Chapter 92F) Read the law12

This law covers records that agencies hold, such as a county office's correspondence or a property file. Recorded deeds, vital records and court files usually have their own rules, set out in each record section.

Who can ask
Any person (individual, corporation, government, partnership, association or other legal entity); no reason needs to be given. Only individuals may request their own personal records.13
Response time
10 business days to grant or deny (in whole or part), or to send a written acknowledgment that more time is needed (usually not more than 10 additional business days). Requester must answer a clarification or prepayment notice within 20 business days or the request is considered abandoned.14
Copy fees
Search $2.50 per 15 minutes; review/segregation $5 per 15 minutes; the first $30 of search/review/segregation fees is waived ($60 if the agency finds a public-interest waiver applies); plus other lawful costs such as copying under HRS §92-21 (copy fees of not less than 5 cents per page), media and postage. Agency may require prepayment of 50% of estimated search/review/segregation fees and 100% of other costs.15
If a request is refused
Appeal a denial to the Office of Information Practices (OIP) and/or sue the agency in circuit court within two years of the denial; an OIP appeal is not required before going to court. OIP also offers a free Request for Assistance when an agency fails to respond after 10 business days.15
What is exempt
Records need not be disclosed if disclosure would be a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy, would frustrate a legitimate government function, concern pending/likely litigation (to the extent not discoverable), are protected by state/federal law or court order, or are legislative working papers (HRS §92F-13). The UIPA covers state and county agencies including the administrative (not adjudicative) functions of the judiciary.13
Official guide
Hawaii's UIPA is administered by the Office of Information Practices (OIP, attached to the Department of Accounting and General Services), not the Attorney General. OIP publishes the UIPA Manual (August 2025), a model 'Request to Access a Government Record' form and a FAQ.14

How to write a public records request

Property and tax records in Hawaii

Who sets values
Each of the four counties (Honolulu, Hawaii, Maui, Kauai) assesses and administers its own real property tax; e.g. City & County of Honolulu Department of Budget and Fiscal Services, Real Property Assessment Division.3
Who collects the tax
Honolulu: tax bills and payments are handled by the Department of Budget and Fiscal Services Treasury Division.16
Appealing a value
Appeal to the county Board of Review; in Honolulu by the January 15 deadline (online or form BFS-RPA-M-8-12), on four grounds set in ROH §8-12.3. Taxes must still be paid while an appeal is pending. Further appeal lies to the Tax Appeal Court (state judiciary).17

How this works in other states: property and tax records by state.

Probate records and wills in Hawaii

Who holds it
Circuit Court of the circuit where the estate is administered (exclusive probate jurisdiction).11
Search
Probate cases are searchable in eCourt Kokua as Circuit Court civil/estate cases (case-ID prefixes such as LP, SE, TR, CG); copies from the circuit's Legal Documents Branch.18
Fee
Copy/certification fees per the Judiciary schedule ($1.00 first page, $0.50 each additional; certification $2.00).5

How this works in other states: probate records and wills by state.

How Hawaii organizes its records

  • Single statewide recording office: all deeds, mortgages, liens and UCC filings for every island are recorded at the state Bureau of Conveyances in Honolulu (Regular System and Land Court); there are no county recorders or registers of deeds.1
  • Vital records (birth, death, marriage, civil union) are held only by the State Department of Health; counties do not issue marriage licenses or certificates. Marriage licenses come from DOH-authorized agents.6
  • Since February 1, 2026 the Department of Health keeps no divorce records; divorce decrees come only from the Family Court of the circuit that granted the divorce.19
  • Kalawao County (Kalaupapa peninsula, Molokai) is a fifth county whose operation is a collaboration of several state and federal agencies; DOH cares for the remaining Kalaupapa registry patients and Maui County provides law enforcement, EMS and fire aid by agreement with DOH. Its records go through the statewide offices (BOC, DOH) and the Second Circuit Court (Molokai).20
  • Courts are organized by circuit (island), not county; there is no Fourth Circuit.4
  • Public-records law is administered by the Office of Information Practices (OIP), which can take appeals and offers free help; requesters need not give a reason.13

Other records: background checks, voters, businesses, maps

Criminal history checks

State repository
Hawaii Criminal Justice Data Center (HCJDC), Department of the Attorney General — statewide criminal history system (CJIS-Hawaii), AFIS, sex offender registry and eCrim.21
Who may order
Anyone may run name checks for conviction information (public). Non-conviction and pending arrest records are confidential (criminal justice and specifically authorized agencies only). Individuals can review their own full record via a fingerprint 'Access & Review'.22
Fee
eCrim online: $5 per name search + $12 per certified record. Public Access site printout: $25. Name check by HCJDC staff (in office or mail): $30 (+$20 certification; notary $0). Fingerprint check: $55 in person / $35 by mail. Card payments add a 3% non-refundable fee.23
How to order
Online at ecrim.ehawaii.gov; at Public Access Sites statewide; in office (no appointment, form HCJDC-073) or by mail to HCJDC, Attn: CHRC Unit, 465 S. King Street, Rm 102, Honolulu, HI 96813 (3-5 business days).23

Sex offender registry

Official registry
Hawaii Covered Offender Registry, maintained by HCJDC (Department of the Attorney General); public internet and on-site access by statute.24

Inmate and jail lookups

State prisons
Hawaii Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (DCR) runs the state correctional facilities, including the community correctional centers on each island; custody status via SAVIN/VINE (vinelink.vineapps.com/search/HI/Person), linked from DCR.25

Voter records

Public or restricted
Restricted: only a voter's full name, district/precinct and voter status are public; all other registration information is confidential except for election or government purposes.26
How to request
Voter registration is kept by the County Elections Divisions (County/City Clerk): Honolulu City Clerk (808) 768-3800; Hawaii County Clerk (808) 961-8277; Maui County Clerk (808) 270-7749; Kauai County Clerk (808) 241-4800. No public voter-list purchase procedure or fee was found.27

Business names (DBA)

Assumed names (DBA)
Trade names (DBAs) are registered statewide with the DCCA Business Registration Division (BREG), not with counties. Filing fee $50.00 (Form T-1); expedite $20.00; certified copy $10.00 + $0.25/page; plus $1.00 State Archives fee.28
Companies and LLCs
Corporations, partnerships, LLCs, LLPs, cooperatives, trade names and marks are registered with DCCA BREG; free business search via the Hawaii Business Express portal (hbe.ehawaii.gov/documents/search.html; new portal hbe.dcca.hawaii.gov from July 6, 2026).29

Liens and UCC filings

UCC filings
UCC financing statements are filed with the Bureau of Conveyances (not a Secretary of State/Lt. Governor office): $41.00 per UCC1/UCC3/UCC5 document; UCC11 information request $25 per search + $5 per creditor found, copies $1.00/page, certification $10.00.2
Federal tax liens
Federal (IRS), state tax and CSEA liens are recorded at the Bureau of Conveyances and searchable in the BOC document system (instrument code 'NL' = Notice of Lien); BOC does not create or remove liens.30

GIS and parcel maps

State GIS portal
Hawaii Statewide GIS Program (Office of Planning and Sustainable Development): the Hawaii Statewide GIS Program open data portal geoportal.hawaii.gov (listed on the OPSD page as "Hawaiʻi Open Data Portal"), downloads and REST services geodata.hawaii.gov/arcgis/rest/services. Parcel maps: county real property sites (e.g., County of Maui Parcel Viewer).31

Historical and genealogy records

State archives
Hawaii State Archives (Kekauluohi Building, Iolani Palace Grounds, 364 S. King St., Honolulu; (808) 586-0329), with Digital Archives at digitalarchives.hawaii.gov. Fees: duplication $0.25/page; certification $2.25 per record (up to 110 pages); translation $17.00/hour; prepayment required. Holds vital statistics 1832-1929 (incomplete), probates/wills 1847-1917, divorce files 1858-1899.32
Public vital records
DOH issues genealogy copies of vital records more than 115 years old by mail-in request (or genealogy appointment on Oahu); microfilm indexes at the Hawaii State Public Library and FamilySearch centers.9

Counties in Hawaii

3 counties with a full guide

Each guide lists the office for every record type, the official online searches, copy fees, phones and hours.

All 5 counties

Names in bold open our guide. Names with an arrow go to the county's own website, where the US Census Bureau lists one and it opened when we checked.33

Warnings from official sources

  • Court/jury-duty impersonation scams (Hawaii State Judiciary)34
  • Fraudulent 'House Auction' notices (City & County of Honolulu Real Property Assessment Division)35
  • Unofficial business-document solicitations (Certificate of Standing, annual report mailers) (DCCA Business Registration Division)36
  • Property Watch: free alert against fraudulent recordings (Bureau of Conveyances)37

Official copies vs look-alike sites

A certified copy comes only from the office that holds the record; reports and "research copies" sold by commercial sites are not issued by any Hawaii office. How to tell an official record source from a paid look-alike.

Official directories

Lists that name the office in every county.

Sources

Every fact above links to the official page it comes from; all 39 sources were checked on November 4, 2026. Fees and rules change, so check the office's own page before you pay or travel.

  1. Bureau of Conveyances homeDLNR Bureau of Conveyances
  2. Recording FeesDLNR Bureau of Conveyances
  3. ResourcesDLNR Bureau of Conveyances
  4. How the Courts are StructuredHawaii State Judiciary
  5. Schedule of Fees and Costs for Frequently Requested Services & Copies of Records (1C-P-856)Hawaii State Judiciary
  6. Marriage and Civil Union LicensesHawaii Department of Health
  7. Hawaii Birth & Marriage CertificatesHawaii Department of Health
  8. Contact information for obtaining divorce records from the Hawaii court systemHawaii Department of Health
  9. Genealogy RequestsHawaii Department of Health
  10. Death CertificatesHawaii Department of Health
  11. Circuit CourtsHawaii State Judiciary
  12. HRS §92F-11 Affirmative agency disclosure responsibilitiesHawaii State Legislaturearchived copy
  13. FAQ: Access to Government RecordsOffice of Information Practices
  14. How to Request a RecordOffice of Information Practices
  15. Open Records: Guide to Hawaii's Uniform Information Practices Act (UIPA Manual), August 2025Office of Information Practices
  16. Property Tax Bills, Payments, & Tax Credit ProgramCity & County of Honolulu Real Property Assessment Division
  17. Appeal InformationCity & County of Honolulu Real Property Assessment Division
  18. eCourt KokuaHawaii State Judiciary
  19. Vital Records homeHawaii Department of Health, Office of Health Status Monitoring
  20. Kalaupapa UpdatesHawaii Department of Health
  21. Hawaii Criminal Justice Data Center homeDepartment of the Attorney General, HCJDC
  22. Criminal History Frequently Asked QuestionsDepartment of the Attorney General, HCJDC
  23. Name-Based Background CheckDepartment of the Attorney General, HCJDC
  24. Sex Offender and Other Covered Offender InfoDepartment of the Attorney General, HCJDC
  25. Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation homeHawaii Department of Corrections and Rehabilitationarchived copy
  26. HRS §11-97 Records open to inspectionHawaii State Legislaturearchived copy
  27. County Elections DivisionsHawaii Office of Elections
  28. Trade Names, Trademarks, and Service MarksDCCA Business Registration Division
  29. Business Registration Division (BREG)Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs
  30. FAQsDLNR Bureau of Conveyances
  31. Hawaii Statewide GIS ProgramOffice of Planning and Sustainable Development
  32. Forms and FeesHawaii State Archives
  33. Government Units List 2026US Census Bureau
  34. Scam AlertsHawaii State Judiciary
  35. Real Property Assessment Division homeCity & County of Honolulu, Department of Budget and Fiscal Services
  36. BREG Public AlertsDCCA Business Registration Division
  37. Property WatchDLNR Bureau of Conveyances
  38. County GovernmentsHawaii.gov (State of Hawaii portal)
  39. Request Court RecordsHawaii State Judiciary