Hawaii County Bankruptcy Records Search

Hawaii County bankruptcy records cover every debtor on the Big Island, from Hilo to Kona to the ranchlands of Waimea. Filings do not stay on the island. Every Hawaii County bankruptcy case goes to the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Honolulu, since there is no bankruptcy court on the Big Island. You can still search Hawaii County bankruptcy records from home through PACER, look up related state court files at the Third Circuit courthouses in Hilo and Kona, or ask the federal clerk for copies by email. This page walks you through how to find and get the case you need.

How Hawaii County Residents File Bankruptcy

Hawaii County is the Big Island. It is the largest island in the state by land. But when it comes to bankruptcy, the island sends its cases to Oahu. Big Island residents file at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Hawaii, which sits at 1132 Bishop Street, Suite 250, in downtown Honolulu. The Clerk's Office number is (808) 522-8100. There is no federal bankruptcy courthouse in Hilo, Kona, Waimea, or anywhere else on the Big Island.

Bankruptcy is federal. A state judge cannot open or close a bankruptcy case. Congress wrote the Bankruptcy Code under Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution, and it lives in Title 11 of the United States Code. Big Island debtors can e-file through CM/ECF with the help of a lawyer, or they can mail paper petitions to the Honolulu clerk. Most filers on the Big Island work with a local attorney who has e-filing rights, since mailing a petition from Hilo or Kona to Oahu adds days of delay. The court accepts money orders and cashier's checks; it does not take cash or personal checks.

Remote appearances help. Most 341 meetings of creditors are held by Zoom now, so a Hawaii County debtor does not have to fly to Oahu for that step. Hearings before the judge also run by Zoom or phone in most cases. Call the clerk first. They can tell you which parts of your case need an in-person visit.

Third Circuit Courthouses in Hawaii County

The Third Circuit of the Hawaii State Judiciary covers all of Hawaii County. Two main courthouses serve the Big Island. The east side runs out of Hilo. The west side runs out of Kailua-Kona. These state courts do not hear bankruptcy cases. They do hold the paper trail that often shows up in a bankruptcy filing: judgments, garnishments, foreclosures, small claims, and family court orders. A full Hawaii County bankruptcy record often pulls in state court files as well.

Both the Hilo and Kona courthouses are open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., except for state holidays. The Hilo legal documents email is hilolegaldocs.3cc@courts.hawaii.gov. The Kona legal documents email is konalegaldocs.3cc@courts.hawaii.gov. For ADA accommodations, call 808-961-7629 or email adarequest@courts.hawaii.gov. Staff will try to arrange aids and services, but some requests need lead time.

How to Search Hawaii County Bankruptcy Records

The fastest way to search Hawaii County bankruptcy records is online. PACER is the national index. You can look up a Big Island debtor by name, case number, or filing date. All Hawaii County cases show up under the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Hawaii, since the state has only one bankruptcy court. Cases filed on or after January 1, 1998 exist only as electronic images. Older paper files may sit at the San Francisco Federal Records Center.

Sign up at pacer.gov. It is free to register. You pay only for what you view. The rate is $0.10 per page with a $3.00 cap per document. A Case Locator search runs across every federal court in one shot, which helps when you do not know where a debtor first filed. PACER works 24 hours a day. You can also read the court's own PACER guide at hib.uscourts.gov/pacer.

Want a quick free check? Use McVCIS. The Multi-Court Voice Case Information System is a phone line run by the federal judiciary. Call in, key in the debtor's last name or case number, and the system reads back basic case info. No login. No fee. It does not give you documents, but it confirms that a case exists and shows the current chapter and status.

Hilo Hale Kaulike Records Access

For state court files tied to a Hawaii County bankruptcy case, start at the Hilo Hale Kaulike courthouse. The Legal Documents desk is where you request civil, family, and circuit records. Bring the case number if you have it. If not, staff can run a name search, but a search fee may apply. Requests take 10 business days in most cases. Mail-in requests can take 15 to 20 business days. Payment is by money order or cashier's check only.

The Third Circuit clerk also accepts mailed requests. Send Form 1CP858 or a written note with the case number, the party names, and your return address. Include a self-addressed stamped envelope. The clerk issues an invoice for copy fees before anything goes out.

For a plain-language overview of how federal bankruptcy fits into Big Island court life, read the court's main page at hib.uscourts.gov/understanding-bankruptcy.

The overview covers Title 11 of the U.S. Code, the role of the trustee, the 341 meeting, and what types of debts survive a discharge, all of which apply to every Hawaii County bankruptcy filing.

Note that Hilo keeps no paper bankruptcy files. The Third Circuit courthouses only hold state case records. Anything bankruptcy-related must come from the federal clerk in Honolulu. If you need a certified copy of a Big Island judgment to file with a bankruptcy petition, you will ask the Hilo or Kona circuit clerk, not the federal court. Fees at the state clerk run $1.00 per page for standard copies and $2.00 per document for certification.

PACER and Electronic Access to Big Island Cases

Once you have a PACER login, the District of Hawaii docket opens up. You can pull the full case file for any Big Island debtor. The file shows the voluntary petition, schedules, statement of financial affairs, creditor list, trustee reports, and any motions filed along the way. Claims filed by creditors are there too. So are orders from the judge.

The court's PACER guide for the District of Hawaii spells out how to pull the full docket on any Big Island case filed from 1998 onward. Read the guide at hib.uscourts.gov/pacer.

Note that the Hawaii County Office of Information & Requests at 25 Aupuni St., Room 217 in Hilo (808-961-8223) does not hold any bankruptcy files. Those live only with the federal clerk on Oahu.

The court also runs a public terminal inside the Honolulu clerk's office. Viewing is free at the terminal. Printing costs a per-page fee. The terminal shows Hawaii bankruptcy records that are otherwise restricted in PACER, like older sealed or limited-access files. If you live on the Big Island and need one of those files, you can ask the clerk to print and mail copies instead of flying over. Copy requests go to copies@hib.uscourts.gov.

Filing Fees and Chapter 12 for Big Island Farmers

Fees matter, and the Big Island has one chapter that stands out. Chapter 12 is built for family farmers and family fishermen with regular income. That fits a lot of Hawaii County. Coffee growers, ranchers, macadamia and papaya farms, and small commercial fishing families on the Kona and Hamakua coasts all may qualify. The filing fee is $278, lower than Chapter 7 or Chapter 13. You can read the Chapter 12 requirements at hib.uscourts.gov/chapter-12-filing-requirements.

Current filing fees for Hawaii County bankruptcy records include:

• Chapter 7: $338 (filing $245 + admin $78 + trustee $15)
• Chapter 11: $1,738
• Chapter 12: $278 for family farmers and fishermen
• Chapter 13: $313 (filing $235 + admin $78)

Debtors who cannot pay may ask to pay in installments. The last Chapter 7 installment is due within 120 days of the petition. For Chapter 12 and 13, the last installment is due within 14 days. A full fee waiver under 28 U.S.C. § 1930(f) is open to filers below 150% of the federal poverty line, using Official Form 103B. Family size on the waiver must match Schedule I. The court almost never grants installments in Chapter 11 cases.

Big Island ag filers should also check the Chapter 7 rules and Chapter 13 rules to compare before picking a chapter. A farmer with a single bad year may fit Chapter 12 better. A retiree with mostly consumer debt may fit Chapter 7. Talk to a lawyer. The choice shapes the case and the Hawaii County bankruptcy records tied to it.

State Court Records at the Third Circuit

eCourt Kokua is the state portal. It is not a bankruptcy tool, but it helps round out a Hawaii County bankruptcy records search. If a Big Island debtor had a foreclosure, a garnishment, or a civil judgment before filing bankruptcy, the paper trail is likely there. The portal covers traffic, District, Circuit, Family (Adult), Land Court, and Tax Appeal Court cases.

Hawaii County uses the digit "3" for all of its case IDs. A Third Circuit criminal case filed as 3PC-15-1-123 shows up in the system as 3PC151000123. A civil case filed as CIV-16-3-123 becomes 3CC163000123. Search by case ID or by name. The portal is free for basic name searches. Document downloads cost $3 per document or 10 cents per page, whichever is greater. Certified copies add $2 per document. Access the portal through the Hawaii State Judiciary page at courts.state.hi.us.

The county itself keeps a separate records archive. The Hawaii County Clerk's Office uses a Laserfiche WebLink system for council communications, bills, resolutions, and ordinances. It is free. Log in with username "public" and password "weblink808". The archive is at the main county site at hawaiicounty.gov. The county has no central document office, so other records (building permits, tax files, property records) go through each department.

State public records access in Hawaii runs under the Uniform Information Practices Act, or UIPA, found at HRS Chapter 92F. It treats most government records as open. A clerk may still redact names or numbers that fall under a privacy or safety exception.

Getting Copies of Hawaii County Bankruptcy Records

You can get paper or certified copies of any Hawaii County bankruptcy record from the federal Clerk's Office in Honolulu. Requests go to copies@hib.uscourts.gov, by phone to (808) 522-8100, or by mail to 1132 Bishop Street, Suite 250, Honolulu, HI 96813. The clerk sends an invoice first. Pay by money order, cashier's check, or certified check. Cash and personal checks are not taken. Include a stamped, self-addressed envelope if you want the copies mailed back.

Debtors get a small perk. A person named as the debtor in a Big Island case can ask for a scanned PDF of up to two documents at no charge. Email from the debtor's own address, list the case number and title, and name each document. Paper copies still carry per-page fees. Certified copies for banks, title companies, or filing in another federal district use Form 2650 and take extra processing time. An exemplification certificate, used when filing a Big Island bankruptcy judgment in a state court, needs several signatures and runs longer.

The full copy request rules are at hib.uscourts.gov/copies-documents. For cases filed before 1998, the paper file may sit at the San Francisco Federal Records Center. Call the Clerk's Office for the Box, Location, and Transfer numbers. Retrieval fees apply.

Before you pay anything, check if the file is already on PACER. Most post-1998 Hawaii County bankruptcy records are fully imaged. You can download the whole docket at 10 cents per page, with each document capped at $3.00. That works out cheaper than a certified paper copy in most cases. If you only need the information and not the court seal, PACER is the better route. The forms you may need to fill along the way are all at hib.uscourts.gov/forms.

Cities in Hawaii County

Hawaii County is made up of towns and CDPs rather than incorporated cities. Hilo is the county seat and the main population center on the east side. Other Big Island communities include Kailua-Kona, Waimea (Kamuela), Kealakekua, Pahoa, Honokaa, and Captain Cook. Each of these towns sends bankruptcy filings to the Honolulu federal court. Only Hilo has a dedicated page on this site.

Residents of Kona, Waimea, and Kealakekua use the same federal bankruptcy court as Hilo residents. State court matters tied to a bankruptcy case may be handled at the Kona Keahuolu Courthouse for west-side filers, or at Hilo Hale Kaulike for east-side filers.

Nearby Counties for Bankruptcy Records

Hawaii County shares the District of Hawaii bankruptcy court with the other four counties in the state. All cases filed from any island go to Honolulu. Pick a nearby county below for local court, clerk, and filing details.

View All Hawaii Counties