Hawaii Court Records: How to Search eCourt Kokua and How Sealing Works

Hawaii is one of the more straightforward states for finding a court record. A single statewide tool, eCourt Kokua, covers traffic, District, Circuit, and Family Court cases, both criminal and civil, plus Land Court, Tax Appeal Court, and appellate cases, all from one search.

Information last verified on 2026-08-10. This article has not yet been reviewed by a licensed lawyer.

This guide is part of a broader look at court records by state; for the mechanics of federal versus state versus county searches generally, see how to look up court records and are court records public.

eCourt Kokua: Hawaii's Statewide Case Search

eCourt Kokua, run by the Hawaii State Judiciary, is a unified statewide search rather than a county-by-county system. It covers traffic cases, District Court criminal and civil cases, Circuit Court criminal and civil cases, Family Court cases, Land Court, Tax Appeal Court, and appellate cases, all searchable from the same tool. Basic search requires no registration and is free.

The Judiciary is direct about the limits of what the site provides. Its own disclaimer states that case information "is made available 'as is,' as a public service with no warranties, express or implied, including any implied warranties of merchantability, accuracy, non-infringement or fitness for a particular purpose," and separately notes that the database "does not comprise all information from court records available to the public." Data is generally current to within 48 hours of a filing or hearing, so a very recent event may not appear yet.

When a document is available as a PDF, the site indicates it with a PDF icon next to the docket entry; these are typically available for purchase within three business days of filing, not instantly. Certified copies work differently: they are paper only and must be requested in person at the courthouse where the case is held. eCourt Kokua itself does not issue certified copies.

What's Public and What's Restricted

Hawaii's public-records law generally treats judicial branch records as outside its scope, since court records are governed by judiciary rules rather than the state's public-records statute, similar to most states. Beyond the general eCourt Kokua disclaimer, the Judiciary's site does not publish a single consolidated list of every category excluded from public access online. In practice, categories such as juvenile, certain family law matters, and sealed cases will not display through eCourt Kokua. If a case does not appear in the search, that does not necessarily mean no case exists; it may be restricted from the online index, and a courthouse inquiry is the way to confirm.

Sealing a Hawaii Court Record

Hawaii uses two distinct processes rather than one. The first is an expungement of non-conviction arrest records handled by the Hawaii Criminal Justice Data Center (HCJDC), part of the Department of the Attorney General, under Hawaii Revised Statutes section 831-3.2. That is an action against the state's criminal history database, not the court case file itself. The second is a separate request made directly to the Judiciary, described on the courts' own site as "a written request to the court for their record to be sealed or removed." As of a 2025 change, an HCJDC expungement order is now automatically forwarded to the Judiciary for sealing consideration going forward; expungement orders issued before that change still require the individual to separately petition the court to seal the case file. Hawaii has no automatic, broad conviction-sealing law of the kind adopted by some other states. For eligibility and the filing process, see Hawaii expungement laws, which this page does not duplicate.

Certified Copies and Courthouse Access

Because eCourt Kokua does not issue certified documents, anyone who needs a certified copy of a filing, judgment, or order must go to the courthouse where the case is held and request it in person.

Using Hawaii Court Records the Right Way

eCourt Kokua is well suited to checking your own case, confirming a hearing date, or general research, but it is not a background-check tool. Under the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act, a criminal conviction is exempt from the seven-year reporting window that limits how long arrests and most civil judgments can appear on a consumer report, meaning a conviction can be reported indefinitely; only a Hawaii sealing or expungement action removes it from a compliant background report. The FTC's 2023 settlement with TruthFinder and Instant Checkmate, over marketing public-records reports for tenant and employee screening without following federal background-check law, is a reminder that court records searches carry real legal exposure when used to screen someone for housing or a job outside an FCRA-compliant process.

Disclaimer

This article explains how Hawaii court records are organized and searched. It is general legal information, not legal advice, and it is not a substitute for a licensed legal or background-screening professional. Portal features and fees change without notice; verify current details directly with the Hawaii State Judiciary. Consult a Hawaii-licensed attorney for advice about a specific case.

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Last updated: 2026-08-10. Portal facts and fees reflect their published status as of August 2026.