Honolulu County Bankruptcy Records Lookup

Honolulu County bankruptcy records live in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Hawaii. The clerk's office sits on Bishop Street in downtown Honolulu and handles every case filed on Oahu. You can search Honolulu County bankruptcy records online through PACER, read files on free public terminals at the courthouse, or ask the clerk for paper or certified copies by email or mail. This page walks through the main lookup tools, courthouse addresses, filing steps, and request forms tied to Honolulu County bankruptcy records so you can find the case you need.

U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Honolulu County

The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Hawaii sits at 1132 Bishop Street, Suite 250, in downtown Honolulu. It takes every bankruptcy case for the state. That means each Honolulu County filing, plus cases from Maui, Kauai, the Big Island, and Molokai, go to this one clerk. There is no branch court on any other island. Phone the clerk's office at (808) 522-8100. Email document requests to copies@hib.uscourts.gov.

Bankruptcy is federal law. A state judge cannot hear a bankruptcy case. Congress holds that power under Article I, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution. The Bankruptcy Code lives in Title 11 of the United States Code. The Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure set the steps. Local Bankruptcy Rules fill in the details for the District of Hawaii. For a plain overview, read the court's page at hib.uscourts.gov/understanding-bankruptcy. The court's main site is hib.uscourts.gov.

To read files at the courthouse in person, go to the First Floor legal documents section. The clerk keeps no paper files. Every Honolulu County bankruptcy record filed on or after January 1, 1998 is a scanned image. The First Circuit access page lists the state courthouse terminals, but those do not hold federal bankruptcy files.

The state page shows hours and terminal locations for the First Circuit courthouses across Oahu, which cover Honolulu County bankruptcy records for related state filings like judgments and foreclosures.

Search Honolulu County Bankruptcy Records via PACER

PACER is the fastest way to look up Honolulu County bankruptcy records. PACER stands for Public Access to Court Electronic Records. The federal judiciary runs it. You can search by party name, case number, or filing date across every U.S. Bankruptcy Court at once. Cases filed in Hawaii on or after January 1, 1998 show up here. Older files may sit at the San Francisco Federal Records Center.

Sign up at pacer.gov. Registration is free. Give a credit card for same-day access, or wait about a week for login info by mail. PACER charges $0.10 per page. The cap is $3 per document. PACER runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The full PACER guide for the District of Hawaii is at hib.uscourts.gov/pacer.

If you just want to confirm a filing, McVCIS works too. That is the Multi-Court Voice Case Information System. It is a free phone service. Call, key in the debtor's last name or case number, and the system reads back basic case info. No login needed.

First Circuit State Courts in Honolulu County

Honolulu County forms the First Circuit of the Hawaii State Judiciary. The First Circuit covers all of Oahu. State courts do not hear bankruptcy cases. Still, state files matter for a debtor. Foreclosures, garnishments, and civil judgments tied to a bankruptcy show up in First Circuit records.

Oahu has six main state courthouses with free public access terminals. Each one lets you look up state cases at no cost. Copies cost extra. Business hours run roughly 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays. The Ali'iōlani Hale Supreme Court Law Library takes appointments at 808-539-4964. The other sites work on a first come, first served basis.

Main Honolulu County courthouses for state records:

Search state cases through eCourt Kokua. Case IDs for Honolulu County start with the digit "1" for the First Circuit. The full ID uses 12 characters, such as 1CPC-17-0000001. Hawaii Revised Statutes Chapter 92F, the Uniform Information Practices Act, sets the ground rules for public access to Honolulu County court files.

The Hawaii State Judiciary publishes system availability, search tips, and the full case ID format for eCourt Kokua at courts.state.hi.us.

The eCourt Kokua portal does not hold federal bankruptcy files, but it covers First Circuit civil, criminal, and traffic matters that can tie into a Honolulu County bankruptcy case.

Filing Fees for Honolulu County Bankruptcy Records

Fees matter. Each chapter has its own price. The court posts the full list online. Check before you file, since fees change.

Current filing fees for Honolulu County bankruptcy records:

• Chapter 7: $338 total
• Chapter 11: $1,738 total
• Chapter 12: $278 total
• Chapter 13: $313 total

Pay with a money order, cashier's check, or online through pay.gov. Cash and personal checks do not work. Attorneys may pay with a law firm check or credit card in CM/ECF. Individual Chapter 7 debtors may pay in installments. The last installment must clear within 120 days of the petition. Chapter 12 and 13 filers get 14 days. Chapter 11 filers rarely get installment terms. Under 28 USC § 1930(f), a Chapter 7 debtor below 150% of the federal poverty line may ask for a full fee waiver with Official Form 103B. Family size on the waiver must match Schedule I. See hib.uscourts.gov/filing-fees for the latest schedule.

State court copy fees for related Honolulu County court records run $1 per page plain and $2 per page certified. Name searches cost $5 each if no case number is given. Search and segregation fees run $2.50 per 15 minutes. Honolulu County court records also carry a $3 per document download fee via eCourt Kokua, or 10 cents per extra page after 30.

341 Meeting for Honolulu County Bankruptcy Records

Every Honolulu County bankruptcy case runs through a meeting of creditors. Section 341 of the Bankruptcy Code makes the meeting required. People just call it a 341 meeting. The trustee runs the meeting in Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 cases. A U.S. Trustee rep runs most Chapter 11 meetings. Joint debtors must both show up and answer under oath. Creditors can attend, but they do not have to.

Most 341 meetings happen over Zoom. Bankruptcy Rule 2003 sets the time frame. Chapter 7 meetings fall 21 to 40 days after filing. Chapter 13 meetings run 21 to 50 days after filing. Debtors must mail the trustee photo ID and proof of Social Security number at least seven days before. A driver's license, state ID, military ID, resident alien card, or passport works. The trustees on Honolulu County bankruptcy cases include Dane Field, Nima Ghazvini, Elizabeth Kane, and Richard Yanagi. Each trustee has a Zoom link and phone number on the court calendar. Read the full 341 guide at hib.uscourts.gov/meeting-creditors.

General hearings use Zoom Meeting ID 161 789 3766 and passcode 1132. You can also dial (833) 568-8864 toll-free and punch in the same ID. Trials stay in person unless the judge orders otherwise. Recording is banned.

Getting Copies of Honolulu County Bankruptcy Records

The clerk's office on Bishop Street makes copies for any Honolulu County bankruptcy case. Mail, email, phone, or walk-in requests all work. Send emails to copies@hib.uscourts.gov. Call (808) 522-8100. Mail to U.S. Bankruptcy Court, District of Hawaii, 1132 Bishop Street, Suite 250, Honolulu, HI 96813. Per-page copy fees apply. Certified copies carry the court seal and cost more. The clerk sends an invoice first. Pay by money order, cashier's check, or certified check. Cash and personal checks are not taken.

A debtor can ask for a scanned PDF of a document in their own case at no charge, as long as the request covers no more than two documents. Email from the debtor's own address, list the case number and title, and name the specific document. For a paper copy, regular fees still apply. Certified copies for banks, title companies, or to register in another federal court use Form 2650 and take extra time.

For First Circuit state records, the request form is 1CP858 (Request to Access Court Records), with instructions on form 1F-P-1091. Get both on the First Circuit forms page. Mail or fax the form if you cannot go in person. Allow 10 business days for a response, or 15 to 20 for mailed requests. Do not send payment with the first request. The clerk sends an invoice. Prepayment clears before copies ship.

The court's copies page at hib.uscourts.gov/copies-documents walks through each step, including the $3-no-fee option for a debtor who asks for a PDF of up to two documents from their own Honolulu County case file.

For cases filed before 1998, paper files may sit at the San Francisco Federal Records Center. Call the clerk to get Box, Location, and Transfer numbers. The full copy guide is at hib.uscourts.gov/copies-documents. Forms for filing a new case are at hib.uscourts.gov/forms.

Cities in Honolulu County

Honolulu County covers the whole island of Oahu. Pick a city for local courthouse info tied to Honolulu County bankruptcy records.

Other Oahu cities with pages include Ewa Gentry, Mililani Mauka, Makakilo, Wahiawa, Ewa Beach, Ocean Pointe, Schofield Barracks, and Royal Kunia.

Nearby Counties

Every Hawaii county files bankruptcy through the Honolulu federal court. Check a nearby county for local state court info.

View All Hawaii Counties