Search Hawaii Criminal Court Records
Hawaii criminal court records are held by the state judiciary and the Hawaii Criminal Justice Data Center, and you have several ways to search them -- online, in person, or by mail. Whether you're trying to look up a Circuit Court felony case, a District Court misdemeanor, or a name-based criminal history, this guide walks through each official source and explains exactly how access works across all five counties and four judicial circuits.
Hawaii Court Records at a Glance
Search Criminal Court Records Online with eCourt Kokua
The main tool for finding Hawaii criminal court records online is eCourt Kokua, the Hawaii State Judiciary's public case search system. It covers District Court and Circuit Court criminal cases, Family (Adult) Court criminal matters, civil cases, Land Court, Tax Appeal Court, and appellate decisions from the Supreme Court and the Intermediate Court of Appeals. Search by case ID, party name, attorney name, or citation number. Basic case status and hearing information is free to view.
Case numbers in Hawaii follow a 12-character alphanumeric format that includes the circuit identifier and case type. If you already know the case ID, that's the fastest path to a record. Name searches return a list of matching cases, and you can click through to see hearing dates, filings, and current case status. Not every case is available online, though. Traffic records before November 1995, District Court criminal records before August 2012, and appellate records before September 2010 aren't in the system. Confidential and sealed cases are also excluded. Social Security numbers are never shown publicly through eCourt Kokua.
The eCourt Kokua access portal is open Monday through Saturday from 4:00 a.m. to midnight HST, and on Sundays from noon to midnight. Plan your searches accordingly if you need access outside those hours.
The eCourt Kokua portal is the central online tool for searching Hawaii criminal case records without a courthouse visit.
Documents cost $3 per download for the first 30 pages, then $0.10 per additional page. For frequent users, the system offers a subscription at $125 per quarter or $500 per year for unlimited downloads. If you only need records occasionally, pay-per-document works fine without signing up for anything.
The Hawaii State Judiciary's search court records page provides direct links into eCourt Kokua along with a clear explanation of what case types the system covers and what it does not include.
This official judiciary page is the best starting point for anyone who wants to understand the full scope of Hawaii's online court records system.
eCourt Kokua also lets you check upcoming court hearings. A hearing search function added in 2023 lets you look up scheduled hearings by case ID or by court location, showing a two-week window of future dates. It updates in real time as clerks enter new information. Family Court cases involving minors are excluded from this feature. Most courthouses also post daily calendars on-site.
The hearing search tool makes it easy to confirm when a case is next scheduled before making a trip to any Hawaii courthouse.
Hawaii Criminal History Records: The HCJDC
For criminal history information specifically, the Hawaii Criminal Justice Data Center (HCJDC) is the agency to know. It sits within the Department of the Attorney General and maintains the statewide Criminal Justice Information System (CJIS-Hawaii), which tracks arrest and conviction data for adults across the state. The HCJDC also runs the Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS), the Sex Offender Registry, and the eCrim online portal. The office is located at the Kekuanaoa Building, 465 S. King Street, Room 102, in Honolulu. Hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., with a lunch closure from noon to 1:00 p.m. and closures on state holidays.
A critical point that many people miss: the HCJDC criminal history system covers only Hawaii arrests. Records from other states do not appear here. The system also covers adults only -- juvenile records are generally confidential under Hawaii law and are not part of the public criminal history database. If you need juvenile records, contact the Hawaii State Judiciary Family Court Juvenile Records office at (808) 954-8190. The HCJDC criminal history FAQ spells all of this out clearly and is worth reading before you search.
What shows up in a public name-based search? Convictions, acquittals, and dismissals by reason of mental disease under Chapter 704 of the Hawaii Revised Statutes are public records and appear in eCrim results. Non-convictions and pending cases are confidential and are not available to the general public. If a charge was dropped or someone was not convicted, that information won't appear in a standard name search. This is set by statute, not a policy choice that individual agencies can override.
The HCJDC FAQ page covers these distinctions in detail, including how to challenge the accuracy of your own criminal history record.
The HCJDC is Hawaii's central hub for adult criminal history data, maintaining systems used by courts, law enforcement, and the public.
The eCrim system at ecrim.ehawaii.gov is the public online portal for name-based criminal history searches. Enter a name, date of birth, and gender -- an SSN is optional. Pay the $5 fee, then view results. A result showing "No Criminal Convictions Found" is a valid outcome meaning no public record was located, not an error in the system. If you want an official printed report rather than just an online result, that costs $12. Sessions time out after 30 minutes of inactivity, so be ready to complete your search in one sitting.
Fingerprint-based criminal history checks run $55 and are more thorough than name-based searches, since they're tied to biometric identity rather than name variations or data entry differences. These are handled through the HCJDC directly. HRS Section 846-2.7 governs who may request fingerprint-based checks and under what circumstances, including requirements for certain licensed professions and government positions.
The FAQ details search costs, access rules, and how to read results from both name-based and fingerprint-based criminal history requests.
Getting Criminal Court Records in Person or by Mail
Some records are not online. Older case files, documents never digitized, or materials requiring certified authentication mean you'll sometimes need to go to a courthouse or send a written request. Hawaii has four judicial circuits. The First Circuit covers Honolulu County (Oahu). The Second Circuit covers Maui County, which includes Maui, Molokai, and Lanai. The Third Circuit covers Hawaii County (Hawaii Island). The Fifth Circuit covers Kauai County. Kalawao County, the smallest county in the US by area and population, falls under the Second Circuit administratively.
Copy fees at circuit court clerk offices are set by court rule. Copies made at the clerk's office are $1.00 for the first page and $0.50 for each page after that. Certified copies cost an extra $2.00 per certification stamp. If a file is stored off-site, add a $5.00 retrieval fee on top of the regular copying charge. Need it fast? Expedited requests (documents ready within four hours if submitted before noon) cost $10.00 plus applicable copy fees. Faxing within Hawaii is $2.00 for the first page and $1.00 per additional page; faxing to a US address outside Hawaii is $5.00 for the first page and $2.00 per additional page.
Name-based criminal history checks can be done at Public Access Sites for $25, paid by money order or cashier's check. By mail or in-person at the HCJDC, the fee is $30. The online eCrim option at $5 is the cheapest route if you don't need a certified printout or official report.
Note: HCJDC in-person and mail requests require payment by money order or cashier's check; personal checks and credit cards are not accepted for these transactions.
Hawaii Public Records Law and Criminal Court Record Access
Hawaii's public records law is the Uniform Information Practices Act (Modified), known as UIPA, codified at Chapter 92F of the Hawaii Revised Statutes. Under Section 92F-11, all government records are presumed open to public inspection unless a specific law restricts access. Section 92F-13 lists exceptions, including records that would cause an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy, records protected by other laws, and certain law enforcement records. Court records generally follow these rules, though the judiciary layers its own access policies on top of the UIPA framework.
Some criminal court records are off-limits by statute. Juvenile proceedings are generally confidential under HRS 571-84, so those records don't appear in eCourt Kokua or HCJDC searches. Family court domestic relations records may also be restricted depending on the nature of the case. Sealed cases require a court order to access -- no workaround through a UIPA request will get you those records. These restrictions apply statewide, regardless of which county or circuit the case originated in.
The Office of Information Practices handles UIPA questions from the public and publishes guidance on what agencies must and cannot withhold.
The OIP website is the authoritative source for understanding Hawaii's public records access rights under Chapter 92F HRS.
To request records not available online, submit a written UIPA request under HAR Chapter 2-71. The request must identify the record you're looking for, include your contact information, and state how you'd like to receive the record (email, mail, in person). Agencies must respond within 10 business days. The absolute maximum response time is 20 business days from the date the request is received. Fee waivers are sometimes available when the records relate to the agency's own operations and the requester plans to share the information publicly.
The UIPA request process applies to state and county agencies that hold criminal justice data, including law enforcement and court administration offices.
HRS 846-2.7 is the specific statute governing criminal history record checks. It authorizes agencies to run state and national checks when making fitness determinations for licenses, permits, or certain government-related roles. It also establishes the VECHS program -- the Volunteer and Employee Criminal History Service -- which lets qualified entities serving children, vulnerable adults, or people with disabilities request criminal history records for screening purposes.
This statute sets the legal foundation for how criminal history records may be accessed in Hawaii and for what purposes.
Historical Records, Ho'ohiki, and eCrim Search Tools
For older criminal court records, the Hawaii State Archives holds judiciary records going back to 1839. The collection includes civil, criminal, marriage, divorce, probate, and equity cases, organized by judicial circuit -- Supreme Court, First (Oahu), Second (Maui, Molokai, Lanai), Third (Hawaii Island), Fourth (Hamakua, Hilo, Puna), and Fifth (Kauai). Records less than 80 years old may be restricted under statutes covering adoption (HRS 578-15) and guardianship (HRS 571-84). The Archives has digitized First Circuit Probate Case Files from the Hawaiian Kingdom era, which is useful for historical legal research or genealogy work tied to court proceedings.
The State Archives collection spans nearly two centuries of Hawaii judiciary records and is the key source for pre-digital criminal case research.
The Ho'ohiki portal gives online access to Family Court civil cases. It shows case titles, party lists, document lists, and court minutes for civil family matters, with records generally going back to 1983. Updates happen each evening, usually within 48 hours of a new filing. This system does not provide the actual court documents -- for those, you'd need to visit the courthouse. Ho'ohiki covers civil Family Court cases only; criminal matters appear in eCourt Kokua instead.
eFiling, Hearing Searches, and Traffic Case Records
Hawaii's Judiciary Electronic Filing and Service System (JEFS) handles electronic document submission across most case types. JEFS users with active cases can print documents at no cost from the "Manage Cases" screen. Electronically certified copies can be purchased separately through eCourt Kokua. The system operates on the same schedule as eCourt Kokua -- Monday through Saturday, 4:00 a.m. to midnight HST, and Sunday from noon to midnight. For Supreme Court e-filing questions, call (808) 539-4789.
JEFS supports electronic document submission and case management for attorneys and self-represented parties in active Hawaii court cases.
Traffic case records are part of eCourt Kokua, but there's a key distinction to know. The online display of traffic records is not the official record and cannot serve as a certified traffic abstract. If you need a certified abstract -- which summarizes moving violations, convictions, and administrative license revocations -- you must purchase one at a district courthouse. The online version is useful for checking case status, but it won't work as proof of a driving record for official purposes.
Online traffic records are informational only; certified abstracts must be obtained in person at a Hawaii district courthouse.
System availability matters if you're working on a deadline. The eCourt Kokua system availability page lists planned maintenance windows and any service interruptions so you can plan searches around downtime.
Checking system availability ahead of time can help you avoid starting a search session when the portal is down for scheduled maintenance.
Browse Hawaii Criminal Court Records by County
Each of Hawaii's five counties has its own courthouse and clerk's office for local criminal case records. Select a county below to find specific access details, courthouse addresses, and filing information.
Criminal Court Records in Major Hawaii Cities
Looking for court records in a specific city? Select from the major Hawaii cities below to find courthouse locations and access details for that area.