Hawaii County Residents Directory Search
The Hawaii County Residents Directory pulls together the public files kept by offices on the Big Island. You can search for police reports, property owners, court cases, fire incident logs, and elections data. The county runs no single portal for all of this. You must pick the right office for the Residents Directory lookup you need. Hawaii County covers the east side from Hilo and the west side from Kailua-Kona. Most records live with the department that made them. The tools on this page help you find the right desk fast.
Hawaii County Residents Directory Overview
County of Hawaii Residents Directory Overview
Hawaii County is the Big Island. It is the largest landmass in the state. The County of Hawaii runs on a Mayor-Council system. The County Council has 9 elected members. Each member serves a 4-year term. The Council meets on the first and third Wednesday of the month at 9:00 a.m. Meetings happen at 25 Aupuni Street in Hilo. The public can attend and speak.
For fiscal year 2023, the county's operating budget was around $600 million. That money pays for roads, police, fire, parks, and many other services. Call (808) 961-8223 for general help. The TDD number is (808) 961-8521. County offices keep hours from 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.
The county has no single records office. Each department holds its own files. That means a Residents Directory search for property files goes to one desk. A search for fire logs goes to another. The Office of Information and Requests helps route these asks. That office sits at 25 Aupuni St., Rm. 217, Hilo. Call (808) 961-8223 or fax (808) 961-6553.
The screenshot above shows the state court search tool. Big Island cases show up in this system too. More on that below.
Hawaii County Police Records
The Hawaii County Police Department serves the whole island. The force works cases from Hilo to Kona and out to the rural districts. The department keeps arrest files, police reports, and daily incident logs. Requests for police reports go to the Records Division. Basic intake forms get the search started.
The image below shows the department's main site. Use it to find phone numbers, station addresses, and record request forms.
Police report copies carry a fee. Call the Records Division before you drive to the station. Staff can confirm if the report is ready and what you must bring. Some reports are held during an open case. Those can be denied under UIPA privacy rules until the case closes. The Hawaii County Sheriff, a separate state branch, handles court security and prisoner moves. Victim or witness data may be redacted on the copy you get.
The department headquarters sits in Hilo. District stations are in Kona and in other towns around the Big Island. Community policing teams work with neighborhood watch groups. None of these police files are used for tenant screening or for hiring checks by third parties. That kind of use is barred under state privacy rules.
Hawaii County Property Residents Directory
The Real Property Tax Office keeps the main property file for the Big Island. The office sits at 101 Pauahi Street, Suite 4, Hilo. Call (808) 961-8201 for help. Staff can look up a parcel by name, address, or TMK. The TMK is the Tax Map Key. It is a unique code for each piece of land.
The online property search runs free for basic lookups. Pick "Property Search" from the main menu. You can plug in the TMK, the site address, the owner name, or the subdivision name. The tool then shows the tax file, the past sale data, and the current assessed value.
Note the TMK format: county-zone-section-plat-parcel. For Hawaii County, the county digit is 3. So a Big Island TMK always starts with 3. That tells you right away the land is on the Big Island and not on Oahu, Maui, or Kauai. Use this to speed up any Hawaii County Residents Directory property search.
Recorded deeds and mortgages go through the state Bureau of Conveyances. Hawaii runs a single statewide recording system. So a deed for a Hilo lot and a deed for a Waikiki condo sit in the same file cabinet. The Bureau is at 1151 Punchbowl Street, Room 123, Honolulu. Files from 1976 on are online. Older files need a visit or a mail request.
Property data on the Big Island may trigger privacy balancing under HRS § 92F-12. That part of the UIPA statutes lists records that are always open. Tax assessment rolls fall in that bucket. So do maps, plats, and most deed data. That is good news for a basic Residents Directory land search.
Third Circuit Court Records for Hawaii County
The Third Circuit Court serves Hawaii County. The main courthouse is at 777 Kilauea Avenue, Hilo. A west side courthouse sits at 74-5451 Kamakaeha Avenue, Kailua-Kona. The court hears felony criminal cases, civil cases over $40,000, probate matters, and family court cases. It also hears appeals from the lower courts.
Most case data goes online through eCourt Kokua. You can search by party name, case ID, or vehicle plate. Basic lookups are free. Single documents cost $3 each or 10 cents per page. Certified copies add $2. A yearly subscription runs $500 and opens up unlimited PDF pulls.
Not every file sits online. Traffic papers often stay on paper at the courthouse. Sealed juvenile files stay closed. Family Court files on adoption or custody may also be sealed. Under HRS § 92F-13, the court can withhold records that would be a clear invasion of privacy. Open records still form the bulk of the Residents Directory for court files.
If a Big Island case docket has no PDF icon, you must visit the Hilo or Kona courthouse in person. Clerks can print files for a fee. Bring a photo ID. Call ahead if you are not sure which courthouse holds the file. The two sites split caseloads by geography.
Hawaii County Clerk and Elections
The County Clerk's Office keeps official county files. The clerk runs elections. The clerk also holds council minutes, council agendas, and the public documents system. The main office sits at 25 Aupuni Street, Suite 1402, Hilo. Call (808) 961-8255 or email clerk-council@hawaiicounty.gov.
The Elections Division has two offices. The Hilo office is at 25 Aupuni Street, Suite 1502. Call (808) 961-8277. The Kona office is at 74-5044 Ane Keohokalole Highway, Bldg D, 1st Floor. Call (808) 323-4400. Both desks take voter registration, answer ballot questions, and hold candidate filings.
The public documents system lets anyone browse, search, view, and print county files. Council minutes go back many years. Campaign files name the donors and the totals. Voter roll data is open under UIPA but the law redacts phone numbers and some home data. The Residents Directory for elections info starts here.
Anyone can attend council meetings. Every first and third Wednesday, at 9:00 a.m., the Council meets in the chamber at 25 Aupuni Street, Hilo. Meetings are also streamed. Minutes post after each session. That gives the public a running record of every vote, every testimony card, and every item on the floor.
Fire and Civil Defense Records
The Hawaii Fire Department keeps logs of fire incidents, EMS calls, and fire prevention checks. Records go out through a Request to Access Government Record form. You can grab the form from the state OIP site. Email the filled form to firerecords@hawaiicounty.gov. Or mail it to 25 Aupuni St. Suite 2501, Hilo. Walk-ins also work at that address.
Medical records from ambulance runs are not held by the county. Those files sit with the state Department of Health. Use the DOH UIPA page to ask for them. Subpoenas for fire records name the Hawaii Fire Department Custodian of Records. Serve them at HFD Custodian of Records, 466 Kinoole St, Hilo.
The Hawaii County Civil Defense agency sits at 920 Ululani Street, Hilo. Call (808) 935-0031 during work hours. After hours, call (808) 935-3311. Email civildefense@hawaiicounty.gov. Civil Defense keeps emergency plans, hazard maps, and logs of past events. Big Island residents know these files well due to lava flows, storms, and tsunami threats.
Civil Defense data is open under UIPA where it does not put safety at risk. HRS § 92F-13 blocks the release of data that would frustrate an emergency response. So some operational files stay closed. But public hazard maps, shelter lists, and siren test logs are all part of the Residents Directory on this side of the island.
UIPA Procedures for Hawaii County Records
All Hawaii County record asks run under UIPA. That is the Uniform Information Practices Act, Chapter 92F of the Hawaii Revised Statutes. HRS § 92F-11 sets the base rule. All government records are open to the public unless the law closes them. That covers state and county files alike.
A UIPA ask must be in writing. You can use a form, but no form is required by law. You do not have to say why you want the file. You do need to give enough detail so the agency can find the file with reasonable effort. The county has 10 business days to reply. Search fees run $2.50 per 15 minutes. The first hour of search time is free on most requests. Copy fees are $0.25 per page. Review fees run $5 per 15 minutes.
Note the limits. HRS § 92F-13 lists the main blocks. Personal privacy, active police cases, records that would frustrate a government task, sealed files, and records that would clearly invade privacy can all be withheld. Each request gets a case-by-case review. Full text of the law sits on the UIPA statutes page.
If the county denies your ask, you can appeal to the state Office of Information Practices. OIP reviews the file and issues a ruling. Some opinions have the force of law. Most are guidance. Either way, they push county staff to stay on the side of open access. Keep a copy of every request you send. That helps if you need to escalate to OIP later on.
Cities in Hawaii County
Hilo is the main city on the Big Island and the county seat. It is the only Hawaii County city with a full page in this directory. Click below for local court, police, and property resources in Hilo.
Kailua-Kona, Waimea, Pahoa, and Waikoloa Village are also on the Big Island. None of these meet the population bar for a full page. For files in those towns, use the main Hawaii County offices in Hilo or the Kona courthouse.
Nearby Counties
The other Hawaii counties run their own Residents Directory tools. Pick a county below for local office details and search links.