Access Hilo Residents Directory
The Hilo Residents Directory maps the public records held by Hawaii County and the state for the county seat of the Big Island. Hilo is home to the county clerk, the Third Circuit Court, the Hawaii Community Correctional Center, and the East Hawaii police headquarters. Most of the base files for any resident on the Big Island pass through a Hilo office. Use this page to find the right desk for a name, address, court case, or permit search.
Hilo Residents Directory Overview
Hilo as the Hawaii County Residents Directory Hub
Hilo is the county seat of Hawaii County and the largest community on the Big Island. The county government is based at 25 Aupuni Street, Hilo, HI 96720. That one address holds the mayor's office, the county council chambers, and much of the senior staff. The County of Hawaii runs from this building. Council meetings are open to the public and posted in advance.
The Hawaii County Clerk's Office keeps official county records and runs elections. The clerk is a key stop for the Hilo Residents Directory. Election filings, council minutes, and many base records go through this desk. Visit the county clerk page for contact details and for the current list of filings. The county also runs a Civil Defense agency for emergency notices, which keeps its own records.
Hawaii County uses a mayor-council form of government. The county stretches across a huge island. That makes Hilo's role as the seat extra important. Any request for a county-wide record most likely ends up at a Hilo office. For things like TMKs and tax bills, a second office in Kona may also help, but Hilo is the main hub.
Hilo Local Records and Libraries
The Hilo Public Library at 300 Waianuenue Avenue is a core spot in the Hilo Residents Directory. The library gives patrons free access to state court search tools, the OIP records list, and a mix of news and legal databases. Staff can help with forms and with research tips for UIPA requests. The library is part of the Hawaii State Public Library System, so a state library card works at any branch.
Law enforcement records for Hilo come from the Hawaii County Police Department. The East Hawaii main station is in Hilo. The department keeps arrest records, incident reports, and case files. UIPA requests go in writing to the Records Section.
The department also posts press release logs online for major incidents.
The Hawaii Community Correctional Center sits at 60 Punahele Street, Hilo, HI 96720. The facility is run by the state Department of Public Safety. It holds pre-trial inmates and sentenced misdemeanants for Hawaii County. An inmate lookup sits on the DPS site and works by name or ID. Victims of crime can sign up for free alerts through the state SAVIN system. That system is open 24 hours a day, every day of the week.
Note: Police records tied to open cases are closed under HRS § 92F, so the department may hold back some files until the case ends.
Third Circuit Court Records in Hilo
Hilo is home to the Third Circuit Court at 777 Kilauea Avenue. The court covers all of Hawaii County. The Circuit Court hears felonies, civil cases over $40,000, family court, probate, and appeals. The District Court hears traffic, misdemeanors, civil cases up to $40,000, and landlord-tenant disputes. Some cases are heard in the Kona courthouse, but most filings still go through Hilo.
Start at the Third Circuit Court page on the state judiciary site or search the Third Circuit link at the circuit court directory.
The courthouse is walking distance from the county complex on Aupuni Street.
Most case lookups can be done online with eCourt Kokua. Basic lookups are free. PDFs cost $3 per doc or 10 cents per page, whichever is more. Certified copies add $2 each. A subscription plan runs $125 per quarter or $500 per year for unlimited single-doc pulls. The Judiciary search covers traffic, District Court, Circuit Court, Family Court, Land Court, Tax Appeal Court, and appellate cases. Not every file has a PDF icon, so some older Hilo files still need a walk to the courthouse.
Note: Under HRS § 92F-13, records of current judicial proceedings are held back from public view, and that can slow a Hilo case lookup.
Hilo Residents Directory Property Files
Property files for Hilo sit with the Hawaii County Real Property Tax Office. The office runs its public search at hawaiipropertytax.com. Users can search by TMK, address, or owner name. The site pulls assessment data, tax history, and ownership info. Start with the county real property tax hub for links and forms. The public search portal sits at hawaiipropertytax.com.
Hilo parcels have TMKs that start with "3" since Hawaii Island is island three. The next digit is the zone. The rest breaks the land down into section, plat, parcel, and condo unit. Knowing the TMK speeds up any Hilo Residents Directory search. Tax bills and circuit breaker questions go to a separate desk at the county.
Recorded deeds and mortgages for Hilo sit with the state Bureau of Conveyances, not the county. Hawaii uses a single statewide recording system, so every Hilo deed, mortgage, and lien goes through the same state office. Files from 1976 on are online. Older files need a mail request or an in-person visit to Honolulu.
Go to the Bureau of Conveyances page for search tools and fee info.
Credit card users pay $1 per page per document for BOC lookups.
State Resources for the Hilo Residents Directory
State tools round out the Hilo Residents Directory. Birth, death, marriage, and civil union files for Hilo residents go through the state Department of Health. The Hilo Vital Records office sits at 75 Aupuni Street, Suite 201. Phone is (808) 974-6008. Each first certified copy is $10. Each added copy of the same record is $4. A $2.50 portal fee is added to each online order.
Visit the state Vital Records page for ordering steps and forms.
Effective February 1, 2026, the Department of Health no longer issues divorce decree copies.
The state court records hub sits at the state Judiciary page. That tool lets you look up any case in the state. For Hilo cases, filter to the Third Circuit. The Office of Information Practices keeps the Records Report System, a list of more than 26,000 record titles held by state and county agencies. The RRS tells you which office has a file, and that saves time on any Hilo Residents Directory search.
The state also runs a Civil Defense hub at the county level. Hilo residents can check the Hawaii County Civil Defense page for alerts, and the Hawaii County Fire Department has its own page at the county fire department portal. Both keep records that may be useful for a full Hilo Residents Directory lookup.
UIPA Steps for Hilo Record Requests
Hawaii law starts from the idea that records are open. HRS § 92F-11 says all government records are open unless a law closes them. The full UIPA text sits on the state legislature site. The law covers both state and county files. It applies to Hilo the same way it applies to any other part of Hawaii.
Each request must be in writing. You do not have to say why you want the file. You do need enough detail so the agency can find the record with reasonable effort. The agency has 10 business days to reply. Fees run $2.50 per 15 minutes for search, $5 per 15 minutes for review, and 25 cents per page for copies. The first hour of search time is free.
Hawaii County does not run one central records office. Each county department takes its own UIPA requests. That means a Hilo Residents Directory request may go to the police, the clerk, the tax office, or the fire department, depending on the file. For broad help, OIP staff can point you to the right desk. Call the OIP Attorney of the Day line at (808) 586-1400 for free, non-binding advice.
If an agency denies a Hilo request, you can appeal to OIP. OIP reviews the file, weighs the privacy and public interest, and issues an opinion. Some opinions carry the force of law. Others are just guidance. Either way, they shape how agencies handle similar requests later on. Keep a copy of every UIPA request you send. That helps if you need to appeal.
Note: HRS § 92F also covers personal record access, so Hilo residents can ask to see their own file under the same law that opens public records to the world.
Residents Directory for Hawaii County
Hilo is the seat of Hawaii County, but the county covers the whole Big Island. For a full view of county offices, the Third Circuit Court, and island-wide tools, see the Hawaii County Residents Directory.
Nearby Cities in the Residents Directory
Other cities on Maui and Oahu have their own pages. Pick one for local office details.