Maui County Bankruptcy Records

Maui County bankruptcy records cover cases filed by people and firms based on Maui, Molokai, and Lanai. All of these bankruptcy records sit with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Honolulu, since no federal bankruptcy court operates on Maui. You can search Maui County bankruptcy records online through PACER, pull files by case number, or ask the Clerk's Office for copies by mail or email. This page shows you where to look, how the Second Circuit Court in Wailuku fits in, and what you get when you pull a file. It points to local phone numbers, forms, and web tools.

How Maui County Bankruptcy Records Are Filed

Every bankruptcy case is a federal matter. There is no bankruptcy court on Maui, Molokai, or Lanai. A Maui County debtor files with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Hawaii, based at 1132 Bishop Street, Suite 250, Honolulu, HI 96813. The Clerk's Office takes filings by mail, by drop box, or through the court's CM/ECF e-filing system for lawyers. The court's main phone line is (808) 522-8100. Maui County bankruptcy records, once docketed, feed into the national PACER index the same day.

Bankruptcy sits in Title 11 of the U.S. Code. Congress sets the rules under Article I, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution. A state court judge cannot rule on a Maui County bankruptcy case. The Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure set out each step. The court posts local rules and Maui-related filing tips at hib.uscourts.gov. For a plain overview, see hib.uscourts.gov/understanding-bankruptcy.

Most Maui filers mail their petition. Some hire a Honolulu lawyer who e-files. Either way, the case number gets issued by the Honolulu clerk.

Second Circuit Court at Hoapili Hale

The Second Circuit Court is the state trial court for Maui County. It sits in Wailuku at Hoapili Hale, 2145 Main Street, Wailuku, HI 96793-1679. The main phone is (808) 244-2929. The Legal Documents Branch takes record requests at (808) 244-2969. The court is open Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., closed on state holidays. The Second Circuit does not handle bankruptcy. It does hold files on judgments, garnishments, and foreclosures that often tie into Maui County bankruptcy records.

Case files for the whole of Maui County run through Hoapili Hale. That includes cases heard in Lahaina, Hana, and on Molokai and Lanai. The District Court runs courtrooms in Lahaina, Makawao, Molokai, and Lanai. Molokai District Court sits at 55 Makaena Street, Kaunakakai, HI 96748, phone (808) 553-1100. Older files, more than five years old, may be off site. Call first before you drive to the courthouse. You can find the full contact card at courts.state.hi.us/general_information/contact/maui.

Public access terminals sit in the Legal Documents section on the first floor. A second set is at the Traffic Violations Bureau, also on the first floor. Terminal use is free. First come, first served.

For a full map of public access terminals across all Hawaii state courthouses, including the Wailuku courthouse, see the judiciary's access page at courts.state.hi.us.

The eCourt Kokua portal lists pleadings, docket sheets, orders, hearing transcripts, and calendar info for Second Circuit cases, but bankruptcy filings for Maui residents live only with the federal clerk in Honolulu.

How to Search Maui County Bankruptcy Records

The best way to search Maui County bankruptcy records is PACER. PACER is Public Access to Court Electronic Records. It is a national system run by the federal judiciary. You can look up a case by the debtor's name, the case number, or the filing date. Cases filed in Hawaii on or after January 1, 1998 are in PACER. Older Maui County bankruptcy records may be at the San Francisco Federal Records Center.

To sign up, go to pacer.gov. Sign up is free. Give a credit card to get same-day access. PACER charges $0.10 per page with a $3.00 cap per document. The Case Locator runs across every U.S. Bankruptcy Court at once. That means one search pulls Maui County bankruptcy records along with any other cases a debtor may have filed elsewhere. PACER is open 24/7. You can read the court's own PACER guide at hib.uscourts.gov/pacer.

eCourt Kokua uses the digit "2" for Second Circuit cases on Maui. A Maui family court case number might look like 2FC151001234. That is state court, though. It is not a bankruptcy case. The Hawaii State Judiciary posts the eCourt Kokua portal at courts.state.hi.us/legal_references/records/jims_system_availability.

For a quick phone check, you can also call McVCIS (Multi-Court Voice Case Information System). It is a free voice service. Key in the debtor's last name or the case number. It reads back basic case info. No login. No charge.

Hawaii State Judiciary Contact for Maui

The Hawaii State Judiciary keeps a live contact page for Maui County. It lists the Wailuku courthouse, the Legal Documents Branch, and the phone lines for each court on Maui. You can reach the page at courts.state.hi.us/general_information/contact/maui.

The contact page notes that bankruptcy matters for Maui County residents go to the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Honolulu. It also flags the Second Circuit handles all state court work for Maui, Molokai, and Lanai.

Chapter 602 of the Hawaii Revised Statutes sets the rules for state court records. HRS § 92F-12 governs the content of public records. HRS Chapter 92F is the Uniform Information Practices Act, known as UIPA. None of these rules reach bankruptcy, which is federal. They do shape the state files that run next to Maui County bankruptcy records, though. Foreclosure, garnishment, and judgment files can all matter for a bankruptcy case.

For the plain-language federal overview that shapes every Maui County bankruptcy filing, the court's page at hib.uscourts.gov/understanding-bankruptcy covers Title 11 of the U.S. Code, the trustee role, and the discharge rules.

Maui County Bankruptcy Filing Fees

Fees are set by the federal court. They apply the same way to Maui filers as to Oahu or Big Island filers. The fees change from time to time. Check before filing.

Current filing fees for Maui County bankruptcy records are:

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

The Chapter 12 fee is worth a note. Maui has a real ag sector on its slopes and on Molokai. Family farmers and commercial fishermen who need court protection can use Chapter 12. The fee runs lower than Chapter 7. A Chapter 7 fee can be paid in installments, with the last payment due within 120 days of filing. A Chapter 12 or 13 fee must be paid in full within 14 days of filing the last installment. Chapter 11 rarely gets installment approval. A Maui debtor with income under 150% of the federal poverty line may ask for a full fee waiver on Official Form 103B. The rule sits at 28 U.S.C. § 1930(f).

The current fee page is at hib.uscourts.gov/filing-fees. Cash and personal checks are not taken. Only money orders, cashier's checks, or online pay.gov pay.

341 Meeting for Maui County Bankruptcy Cases

Every Maui County bankruptcy case includes a meeting of creditors, known as the 341 meeting. Section 341 of the Bankruptcy Code requires it. For Maui filers, this is the one part of the case they do not have to fly to Honolulu for. As of 2022, most 341 meetings in Hawaii happen over Zoom video. 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 may join, but rarely do in a consumer case.

Bankruptcy Rule 2003 sets the clock. Chapter 7 meetings fall 21 to 40 days after the petition is filed. Chapter 13 meetings fall 21 to 50 days after filing. A Maui debtor must mail photo ID and proof of Social Security number to the trustee at least 7 days before the meeting. A Hawaii driver's license, state ID, military ID, resident alien card, or U.S. passport will do.

The court's 341 info page lists each trustee's Zoom link and phone line. See hib.uscourts.gov/meeting-creditors. The U.S. Trustee program posts national guidance at justice.gov/ust/moc.

Second Circuit Court Records Explained

Court records in Maui County cover all state-level cases heard by the Second Circuit. These are not bankruptcy records, but they often sit next to a bankruptcy file. A typical Maui court file holds case pleadings, motions, docket sheets, orders, judgments, transcripts, exhibits, sentencing info, and the court calendar. Hawaii Court Records Rule 4(a)-(g) sets the ground rules for what goes in and what stays out.

Records that are not public include juvenile files, adoption files, mental health commitments, some family court matters, grand jury proceedings, certain financial and medical info, and anything sealed by court order. For Maui County bankruptcy records, the federal case information portal at hib.uscourts.gov/case-information is the official starting point.

The Second Circuit covers Circuit Court (felonies and civil claims over $40,000), District Court (misdemeanors, traffic, civil claims under $40,000), Family Court, Land Court, Tax Appeal Court, and Small Claims (under $5,000). A Maui County bankruptcy case can pull in files from most of these. A foreclosure sitting in Circuit Court can tie into a Chapter 13 plan. A Small Claims judgment can show up on a Schedule E/F creditor list.

Getting Copies of Maui County Bankruptcy Records

You can ask the Clerk's Office for plain or certified copies of Maui County bankruptcy records. Email requests go to copies@hib.uscourts.gov. Phone calls go to (808) 522-8100. Mail to 1132 Bishop Street, Suite 250, Honolulu, HI 96813. Per-page copy fees apply. Certified copies cost more and carry the court seal. The Clerk sends an invoice first. Send payment by money order, cashier's check, or certified check. Cash is not taken. Personal checks are not taken.

A Maui debtor can ask for a free scanned PDF copy of a document in their own case, up to two documents per request. Email from the debtor's own email. List the case number, the case title, and the exact document. For a paper copy, the regular copy fee still applies. Banks, title companies, and other federal courts that need a certified copy use Form 2650. Plan for extra time. The full copy request page is at hib.uscourts.gov/copies-documents.

For state court files at Hoapili Hale, copy requests go to the Legal Documents Branch at (808) 244-2969. You can also walk in during open hours. Files older than five years may sit off site. Call first.

Maui County bankruptcy records filed before 1998 may be at the San Francisco Federal Records Center. Ask the Honolulu clerk for the Box, Location, and Transfer numbers. The court's forms page is at hib.uscourts.gov/forms.

Cities in Maui County

Pick a city below for local court and filing info. Lahaina is also a major population center on Maui but does not have its own page. Lahaina filings run through the Second Circuit in Wailuku and the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Honolulu.

Nearby Counties

Bankruptcy filings across Hawaii all go to the same federal court in Honolulu. Pick a nearby county for local court and clerk info.

View All Hawaii Counties