Honolulu County Circuit Court

Kaʻahumanu Hale, the Honolulu County Circuit Court Building

Kaʻahumanu Hale sits at 777 Punchbowl Street, Honolulu, HI 96813-5093. The building holds Honolulu County Circuit Court for civil, criminal, probate, land and tax appeal support, court administration, jury operations, files and services, and the Legal Documents Branch for non-confidential Circuit Court documents. The Court Concierge Desk runs at (808) 539-4767. The filing window and file room run Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. except state holidays.

Honolulu County Circuit Court Jurisdiction

The First Circuit Court exercises general civil and criminal jurisdiction for Oʻahu. Specific responsibilities include exclusive probate, guardianship, felony criminal, and civil cases over $40,000. Circuit Court shares concurrent non-jury civil jurisdiction with District Court from $10,000 to $40,000. Specific performance claims, agency appeals, declaratory judgments, and writ proceedings also run through Circuit Court.

The official Circuit Court page on the Judiciary site holds the most current jurisdiction summary. Circuit Court is one of four trial courts on Oʻahu: Circuit Court, Family Court, District Court, and the statewide Land and Tax Appeal courts. Environmental Court matters can be heard within Circuit or District Court depending on case type.

The Circuit Court jurisdiction page below covers civil, criminal, probate, and special-proceeding responsibilities for Honolulu County Circuit Court.

The page also profiles Hawaii's four circuits and the Fourth Circuit's 1943 merger into the Third.

How a Case Moves Through Honolulu County Courts

Many Honolulu County criminal cases start at the District Court level and graduate to Circuit Court if they involve felony-level offenses. Civil cases either start at Circuit Court because of the dollar amount or move from District Court when jurisdiction calls for it. Appeals from trial courts and agencies typically go to the Intermediate Court of Appeals, with discretionary review by the Hawaiʻi Supreme Court.

Case flow: District Court › Honolulu County Circuit Court › Intermediate Court of Appeals › Hawaiʻi Supreme Court

The official state court structure page sets out every court that touches a Honolulu County case, from the Land Court to the Hawaiʻi Supreme Court.

Honolulu County Trial Court Comparison

Each Honolulu County trial court holds its own files. The Circuit Court Legal Documents Branch handles Circuit Court files; the District Court Legal Documents Branch handles District Court files; the Family Court Legal Documents Branch at Kapolei handles Family Court files. Probate sits within Circuit Court under the Estate & Probate Branch.

Honolulu County Circuit Court Specialty Programs

The First Circuit runs treatment- and population-specific programs. Drug Court at (808) 599-3700 handles eligible defendants whose cases tie to substance use. Mental Health Court serves defendants whose criminal involvement is linked to behavioral health. Veterans Treatment Court, which began in the First Circuit in 2013, connects veterans with treatment, mentors, and VA benefits. HOPE Probation at (808) 441-8989 uses swift, certain, and proportionate consequences for violations.

The First Circuit also runs Adult Client Services, which handles restitution under (808) 587-2550 and victim and witness rights guidance. The Judiciary's basic bill of rights for victims and witnesses page explains the role of restitution and victim information in Honolulu County Circuit Court cases.

The Judiciary victims and witnesses rights page shown below is the official summary used by First Circuit prosecutors and Adult Client Services.

The page also covers crime victim compensation, secure waiting areas, and case status information for violent-crime victims.

First Circuit Judges

The Judiciary publishes a First Circuit judges listing that includes each judge's court, division, courtroom or floor, phone, and term information. The list is the controlling source for assignment information; specific assignments can change because of rotations, retirements, and new appointments. People with case-specific questions should not call a judge's chambers because judicial conduct rules bar ex parte discussion of pending matters.

For the official Honolulu County Circuit Court judge listing, see the Judiciary's First Circuit judge phone listing on courts.state.hi.us.

Searching Honolulu County Circuit Court Records

Honolulu County Circuit Court records sit in eCourt Kōkua. The portal covers civil, criminal, probate, and other public Circuit Court cases. Confidential, juvenile, and sealed cases do not appear.

1. Open eCourt Kōkua and accept the disclaimer.
2. Use Case Search if you know the Circuit Court Case ID; use Party Search by name otherwise.
3. Open the case from the result list and read the Summary, Events, Dockets, and Offenses tabs.
4. For a copy with a certification stamp, click the PDF icon and choose Certified Copy.
5. For older or sealed Circuit Court documents, contact the Circuit Court Legal Documents Branch at (808) 539-4300.

Rural District Court Divisions

Honolulu County also runs four rural District Court divisions that work alongside the downtown Circuit and District courts. They sit at ʻEwa/Pearl City at (808) 534-6900, Kāneʻohe at (808) 534-6300, Wahiawā/Waialua at (808) 534-6200, and Waiʻanae at Kapolei at (808) 954-8575. Each rural division hears small claims, landlord-tenant disputes, traffic, and misdemeanor matters without sending the case downtown. Felony filings still move to the Circuit Court at Kaʻahumanu Hale.

Related Honolulu County Pages

The court records page covers the wider eCourt Kōkua search. The court dockets page covers docket and hearing lookups. The Clerk of Court page covers Legal Documents Branch counters. The family court page covers Family Court at Kapolei. The probate records page covers Estate & Probate within Circuit Court.