Why Honolulu County Has No County Court Clerk
Hawaii's state court system is unified under the Chief Justice and the administrative director of courts. Court files belong to the state Judiciary rather than to an elected county clerk. The City and County of Honolulu Clerk handles legislative, elections, and municipal records, but not court records. For Honolulu County court records, the right contact is the Legal Documents Branch that holds the specific case.
Each branch is a "clerk of court" in function. The First Circuit Legal Documents Branch at Kaʻahumanu Hale handles Circuit Court files. The District Court Legal Documents Branch at Kauikeaouli Hale handles District Court files. The Family Court Legal Documents Branch at the Kapolei Judiciary Complex handles Family Court files. The Estate & Probate Branch handles probate, guardianship, and trust files. Land & Tax Appeal Court has its own branch at Kaʻahumanu Hale.
First Circuit Legal Documents Branch
The First Circuit Legal Documents Branch is the closest equivalent to a Honolulu County Clerk of Court for Circuit Court filings. The branch holds civil and criminal Circuit Court files, accepts new filings, handles notary authentication, and routes record requests.
Circuit Court Legal Documents Branch I
Kaʻahumanu Hale
777 Punchbowl Street
Honolulu, HI 96813-5093
(808) 539-4300
Documents Receiving: (808) 539-4303
Files & Services: (808) 539-4308
Mon-Fri 8:00 a.m.-4:15 p.m.
Estate & Probate Branch
Kaʻahumanu Hale
777 Punchbowl Street
Honolulu, HI 96813-5093
(808) 539-4399
Land & Tax Appeal Court: (808) 539-4777
Mon-Fri 8:00 a.m.-4:15 p.m.
District Court Legal Documents Branch
The District Court Legal Documents Branch at Kauikeaouli Hale, 1111 Alakea Street, handles Honolulu District Court files. Civil, criminal, and traffic divisions each have a separate line.
- District Court Civil / Small Claims / TROs / Landlord-Tenant: (808) 538-5151.
- District Court Criminal Legal Documents: (808) 538-5101.
- District Court Traffic Legal Documents: (808) 538-5555.
- Traffic Violations Bureau: (808) 538-5500.
- District Court Service Center: (808) 538-5629.
- District Court Concierge: (808) 538-5767.
Bail posting for District Court matters happens at the Honolulu District Court third floor from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. weekdays except state holidays. The First Circuit page warns that bail refunds, bench warrant recalls, set-aside motions, and bond posting can take additional counter time, so visitors should arrive early.
Family Court Legal Documents Branch
The Family Court Legal Documents Branch sits at the Kapolei Judiciary Complex, 4675 Kapolei Parkway, Kapolei, HI 96707-3272. The branch handles divorce, custody, support, juvenile, adoption, TRO, and other Family Court files. Adoption records have a dedicated number at (808) 954-8145, and the Family Court Service Center (Hoʻokele) sits at (808) 954-8290.
- Family Court main: (808) 954-8000.
- Family Court Service Center / Hoʻokele: (808) 954-8290.
- Family Court Legal Documents: (808) 954-8310.
- Adoption Records: (808) 954-8145.
- Drug Court: (808) 599-3700.
- Family Treatment Court: (808) 534-6600.
- Juvenile Drug Court: (808) 534-6588.
The First Circuit specialty court news image below ties back to the Drug Court, Mental Health Court, and Veterans Treatment Court programs that work alongside Family Court and Circuit Court.
The November 2025 graduation release shows the long-running Drug Court, Mental Health Court, and Veterans Treatment Court tracks the First Circuit maintains.
Honolulu County Court Records Request Forms
The Oʻahu First Circuit forms page hosts the record request forms used across Honolulu County court files. The same forms apply to Circuit, District, Family, and Probate matters with branch-specific routing.
- Court Records Request Instructions, Form 1F-P-1091.
- Schedule of Fees & Costs, Form 1C-P-856.
- Circuit & Family Court Request to Access Court Records, Form 1C-P-858.
- Circuit & Family Court Request to Purchase Court Records, Form 1C-P-827.
- HCRR Form 1 Fly Sheet for Documents Containing Confidential Information.
- HCRR Form 2 Confidential Information Form.
- HCRR Form 3 Request to Access Court or ADLRO Record.
- Request for Audio Recording of Family Court Proceedings (plus proposed order).
- Request for Transcript of Family Court Proceedings (plus proposed order for confidential cases).
The First Circuit Circuit Court forms page and the Family Court forms page both publish PDF versions.
Court Records Request Form Fields
The Honolulu County Clerk of Court request forms gather the fields below. Filling each field carefully reduces back-and-forth with the branch.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Options / Format Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Case number | Text | Likely required if known | Modern hyphenated or 12-character JIMS/JEFS format. |
| Case name / caption | Text | If known | Plaintiff / defendant or petitioner / respondent. |
| Requestor name | Text | Yes | Person requesting access or purchase. |
| Address | Text | Yes | Mailing or contact address. |
| Telephone | Text | Yes | Contact number. |
| Text | Often required | Used for status and delivery. | |
| Record type / document title | Text / list | Yes | Identify docket, complaint, order, decree, transcript, exhibit. |
| Access vs purchase | Checkbox | Yes | Request to inspect or purchase copies. |
| Copy type | Checkbox | Conditional | Regular, certified, exemplified if available. |
| Confidential record authority | Text | Conditional | Required if seeking confidential or sealed documents. |
| Signature / date | Signature | Yes | Request certification. |
| Court approval / order | Attachment | Conditional | Required for confidential cases or documents. |
How to Request a Certified Copy from the Honolulu County Clerk
- Identify the case ID and case type and confirm which branch holds the file.
- Fill out the Request to Access or Request to Purchase form. For Circuit and Family cases, use Form 1C-P-858 or Form 1C-P-827.
- Mark the certified copy option if a certification stamp is needed.
- Include payment by cashier's check, certified check, or money order payable to the State of Hawaii.
- Submit by mail, in person at the branch counter, or through the email or fax contact listed for the branch.
- For online purchases through eCourt Kōkua, certified copies add $2 per document beyond the standard $3 document fee.
Honolulu County Court Records Fees
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Regular document, 1-30 pages | $3 flat |
| Each page over 30 | $0.10 |
| Electronic certification surcharge | $2 per document |
| Quarterly subscription | $125 |
| Yearly subscription | $500 |
| Public terminal viewing | Free |
Subscription access is for high-volume document users and is non-refundable. Payment runs through the Kala Payment Gateway operated by Tyler Technologies for online purchases.
Public Access Terminals
Most Oʻahu courthouses provide free public-access terminals for on-screen viewing of Honolulu County court records. This option helps when an older document is not online or when the docket entry does not show a PDF icon. The Honolulu County Clerk of Court branches can direct visitors to terminal locations during business hours.