Kauai County Bankruptcy Records Search

Kauai County bankruptcy records cover every Chapter 7, 11, 12, and 13 case tied to debtors who live on the island of Kauai. The files do not sit at the Lihue courthouse. They sit at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Hawaii in Honolulu, since bankruptcy is a federal matter. You can still search Kauai County bankruptcy records from Kauai. PACER lets you look up cases online by name or case number. You can also call, mail, or email the Honolulu clerk. This page walks through each step and tool.

Why Kauai Bankruptcy Records Sit in Honolulu

Kauai has no bankruptcy court. It has no bankruptcy judge. All Kauai County bankruptcy records are filed with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Hawaii, 1132 Bishop Street, Suite 250, Honolulu, HI 96813. You can call the clerk at (808) 522-8100. The court takes every case from the island. That rule holds whether the debtor lives in Lihue, Kapa'a, Princeville, Hanalei, Koloa, Waimea, or any small town in between.

Bankruptcy is a federal matter. Congress sets the rules under Title 11 of the United States Code. A state court judge can not rule on a bankruptcy. The Fifth Circuit Court in Lihue handles state court cases for Kauai, not federal ones. That split matters when you search Kauai County bankruptcy records. You need the federal court, not the state court. A judgment, lien, or garnishment issued by the Fifth Circuit in Lihue may show up in a bankruptcy file. But the bankruptcy case itself lives on the federal docket.

The good news is that distance does not block access. PACER brings the whole docket to your screen. You can file by mail from Kauai too. The court takes paper petitions for pro se filers. Most lawyers use CM/ECF to e-file. For the full rules, see hib.uscourts.gov.

Fifth Circuit Court in Kauai County

The Fifth Circuit Court serves Kauai County. It sits inside the Pu'uhonua Kaulike Building in Lihue. The court handles state civil and criminal cases, not bankruptcy. But its records often tie into Kauai County bankruptcy records. A creditor may have a state court judgment. A home may be in foreclosure. A wage garnishment may be running. All of that shows up on the Fifth Circuit docket and gets listed in a federal bankruptcy petition.

You can visit the courthouse to pull state court files tied to a bankruptcy filing. Older case files may be stored off site. If the case is more than ten years old, call first. The Legal Documents Branch takes calls at 808-482-2330. Public access computer terminals sit on the first floor, to the left of the Fiscal Section, at the Customer Service window. Staff can help you search eCourt Kokua and print copies of state court files.

Here are the main contact points for the Fifth Circuit:

The federal filing fee schedule that applies to every Kauai County bankruptcy case is posted at hib.uscourts.gov/filing-fees.

The schedule lists the Chapter 7, 11, 12, and 13 amounts and confirms that Kauai residents must pay by money order, cashier's check, or pay.gov, since the federal court does not take cash or personal checks.

Search Kauai County Bankruptcy Records via PACER

PACER is the best way to find Kauai County bankruptcy records from the island. PACER stands for Public Access to Court Electronic Records. It is a national index kept by the federal judiciary. Any case filed in the District of Hawaii from January 1, 1998 forward sits on PACER. Older files may rest at the San Francisco Federal Records Center and take extra steps to pull.

Sign up is free. Go to pacer.gov, fill in the form, and pick either a credit card for same-day use or a mailed login for a slower start. PACER charges $0.10 per page. The cap per document is $3.00. If your total use stays under $30 in a quarter, the fee gets waived. You can search by party name, case number, filed date, or nature of suit. Case Locator runs a search across every federal court at once, which helps if you are not sure where a debtor filed.

If you only want a quick check, try McVCIS. That stands for Multi-Court Voice Case Information System. It is free. You call, key in the debtor's name or case number, and the system reads back the basic case info. No login needed. For the full PACER guide from the Hawaii court, see hib.uscourts.gov/pacer.

The District of Hawaii also posts a case information page that walks through every way to search Kauai County bankruptcy records, from PACER to the free Clerk's Office terminal:

Read the full guide at hib.uscourts.gov/case-information, which notes that files before 1998 may sit at the San Francisco Federal Records Center.

Court Dockets and eCourt Kokua for Kauai

eCourt Kokua is the state portal. It covers traffic, District, Circuit, and Family Court cases, plus Land Court and Tax Appeal Court. It does not cover bankruptcy. Bankruptcy is federal. But eCourt Kokua is still a key tool when you build a full picture of Kauai County bankruptcy records. Judgments, liens, garnishments, and foreclosure cases live there.

Case IDs in eCourt Kokua use a 12-character code. The first digit is the circuit. For Kauai, that digit is 5. The next letter sets the court type. Two more letters set the case type. Then come the year and a sequence number. So a Fifth Circuit criminal case from 2015 might read 5PC151000123. Knowing the format helps you search by case number without errors.

Check system status and search at courts.state.hi.us. The state Judiciary's calendar page shows Fifth Circuit hearings for the next one to two weeks. Some older cases have limited online docket info. For those, call the clerk at (808) 482-2347 or visit in person.

Kauai County Clerk vs Court Clerk

People mix these two offices up. The Kauai County Clerk's Office is not the court. It does not keep court records. It supports the Kauai County Council and runs elections. The court clerk, on the other hand, works at the Fifth Circuit Court and keeps state court case files.

The Office of the County Clerk sits at 4396 Rice Street, Suite 209, Lihu'e, Hawai'i 96766. The phone is (808) 241-4188 and the email is cokcouncil@kauai.gov. Jade K. Fountain-Tanigawa serves as County Clerk. Lyndon M. Yoshioka is the Deputy County Clerk. The Elections Division sits one door down at 4386 Rice Street, Suite 101, with a phone of (808) 241-4800. The mission is to provide staff support for the legislative work of the County of Kaua'i. The County has no central documents management office, so public records requests go to the individual department that holds the file.

For court records, the Fifth Circuit Court at 3970 Ka'ana Street manages state case files. For federal bankruptcy records, you must contact the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Honolulu. None of those three offices hold the same files, so pick the right one for what you need.

The full rundown on the County Clerk's role is here:

See the office page at kauai.gov/Government/Council/Office-of-the-County-Clerk for council records, elections, and public meeting notices.

Filing Fees for Kauai Bankruptcy Records

Fees are set by the federal court. They do not change based on where the debtor lives in Hawaii. A Kauai filer pays the same as a filer from Oahu. The court takes money orders, cashier's checks, and online pay.gov payments. Personal checks and cash are not accepted.

Current filing fees are:

• Chapter 7: $338 total
• Chapter 11: $1,738 total
• Chapter 12: $278 total (for family farmers and fishermen)
• Chapter 13: $313 total

Chapter 12 matters for Kauai. The island has a strong farm and fishing base, from coffee estates and taro fields to small commercial boats out of Nawiliwili and Port Allen. Chapter 12 was built for those filers. It is simpler and cheaper than Chapter 11 and allows for a plan keyed to farm or fishing income cycles. Chapter 7 debtors who can not pay in installments may ask for a full waiver if household income falls below 150% of the federal poverty line under 28 U.S.C. § 1930(f). Use Official Form 103B for the waiver application. Family size on the form should match Schedule I.

For the latest fee amounts and payment steps, see hib.uscourts.gov/filing-fees. Fees get updated from time to time.

341 Meeting of Creditors for Kauai Filers

Every Kauai bankruptcy case includes a 341 meeting. Section 341 of the Bankruptcy Code requires it. The trustee runs the meeting in Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 cases. A U.S. Trustee rep runs most Chapter 11 meetings. The debtor answers questions under oath.

Before 2022, Kauai filers had to fly to Honolulu for the 341. That added cost and time. Most 341 meetings now happen over Zoom video, which is a big win for island residents. The trustees assigned to Hawaii cases, including those from Kauai, post Zoom links and phone numbers on the court calendar page. Bankruptcy Rule 2003 sets the timing. Chapter 7 meetings are held 21 to 40 days after the petition is filed. Chapter 13 meetings are held 21 to 50 days after filing.

The debtor must mail photo ID and proof of Social Security number to the trustee at least 7 days before the meeting. A driver's license, state ID, military ID, resident alien card, or passport works. Joint debtors must both attend. Creditors may show up but rarely do. See hib.uscourts.gov/meeting-creditors for full 341 rules.

Getting Copies of Kauai Bankruptcy Records

You can order plain or certified copies from the Honolulu clerk. Send requests by email to copies@hib.uscourts.gov, by phone to (808) 522-8100, or by mail to 1132 Bishop Street, Suite 250, Honolulu, HI 96813. Per-page copy fees apply. Certified copies carry the court seal and have a higher rate. The clerk sends an invoice first. Then you mail in payment by money order, cashier's check, or certified check.

A debtor can ask for a scanned PDF copy of a document in their own case at no charge. The request must come from the debtor's own email, list the case number and case title, and name the specific document. The free service covers no more than two documents at a time. For paper copies, regular fees still apply. Certified copies for banks, title companies, or registration in another federal court use Form 2650 and take extra processing time. The full copy request page sits at hib.uscourts.gov/copies-documents.

Pre-1998 case files may be at the San Francisco Federal Records Center. Call the Honolulu clerk to get the Box, Location, and Transfer numbers you need to pull those files. That step adds time.

Filing Without a Lawyer from Kauai

You do not need a lawyer to file. Pro se filing is legal. It is not easy. A mistake on the forms can cost the debtor a discharge or bring a dismissal. For complex cases, hire a lawyer. The Legal Aid Society of Hawai'i helps low-income filers. Volunteer Legal Services Hawai'i pairs filers with pro bono attorneys at no cost.

Anyone filing without a lawyer must get a Certificate of Credit Counseling before the petition gets filed, with rare exceptions. A second debtor education course runs before discharge. Both courses come from U.S. Trustee-approved providers. Lists live on the U.S. Trustee site at justice.gov/ust. You can take both courses online from Kauai. A fee may apply, but fee waivers exist for low-income filers.

For a plain-language overview of how bankruptcy works, read hib.uscourts.gov/understanding-bankruptcy. The court also posts form packets and local rules at hib.uscourts.gov/forms. Read every form carefully. File in person, by mail, or by drop box. Bring photo ID.

Cities in Kauai County

Kauai County covers the full island of Kauai and the small uninhabited Niihau. The main towns are Lihu'e, Kapa'a, Princeville, Hanalei, Koloa, Waimea, Kalaheo, Hanapepe, and Kekaha. None of these towns crosses the population mark to get its own page on this site.

Lihu'e is the county seat and the home of the Fifth Circuit Court. Kapa'a sits on the east side and is the largest town by population, though still small. Princeville is on the north shore. Each town follows the same federal bankruptcy rules since the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Honolulu covers all of Kauai. State court matters go to the Fifth Circuit in Lihu'e for residents of every town on the island. County records such as deeds, tax files, and permits go through the relevant Kauai County department based on the subject.

For state court access, residents of every town use the Pu'uhonua Kaulike Building at 3970 Ka'ana St in Lihu'e. For federal bankruptcy access, the court in Honolulu is the one and only option. Travel is rarely needed since PACER, Zoom, and email cover most steps.

Nearby Hawaii Counties

Kauai is one of five Hawaii counties. Each county ties to a state judicial circuit and shares the one federal bankruptcy court in Honolulu. Pick a nearby county for local court and clerk info.

View All Hawaii Counties