Hilo Court Docket Search
Hilo is the seat of Hawaii County and home to the Third Circuit Court, which handles all major court filings for the Big Island. If you need to search court docket records for a case filed in Hilo, whether it's a criminal matter, a civil dispute, or a traffic citation, this page covers the courthouses, online search tools, police records, and rules that apply to public access in this city.
Hilo Overview
Courthouses Serving Hilo
Both the circuit court and the district court for Hilo share the same building. That makes in-person visits simpler, since you don't need to travel to different locations for different case types. The building is Hale Kaulike at 777 Kilauea Avenue, Hilo, HI 96720.
The Third Circuit Court at Hale Kaulike handles the most serious cases in Hawaii County. Phone: (808) 961-7400, Fax: 808-961-7413. This court takes jurisdiction over felony criminal cases, civil matters where the disputed amount exceeds $40,000, probate filings, Land Court matters, and Tax Appeal cases. If a case involves a large financial claim or a felony charge on the Big Island, it will land in this court. Hours for both courts run Monday through Friday, 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Written records requests require Form 1CP858, and copies run $1.00 per page. Certified copies add $2.00 to that cost.
The Third Circuit District Court also sits at Hale Kaulike, 777 Kilauea Avenue, same building as the circuit court. Phone: (808) 961-7200. This court handles the bulk of everyday cases, including misdemeanor charges, traffic violations, civil claims under $40,000, small claims under $5,000, landlord-tenant disputes, temporary restraining orders, and driver's license reinstatement hearings. The district court docket in Hilo is active, given the range of matters it covers. Both courts share the same office hours, which helps if you need to visit more than one division in a single trip.
Note: Copy fees at Hale Kaulike are $1.00 per page for standard copies and an additional $2.00 for certified copies of court documents.
How to Search Hilo Court Dockets Online
The free public search portal for Hawaii court records is eCourt Kokua. It covers all circuits statewide, including the Third Circuit, which handles Hilo cases. You can search by party name, case number, or citation number without any account or fee. The system shows case type, filing date, and a full list of docket events including hearings, orders, and filings.
When searching for Hilo court docket records specifically, select the Third Circuit from the court filter. This limits results to Hawaii County cases and avoids returning matches from other islands. If you know the case number, entering it directly gives you the fastest result. Case numbers in Hawaii follow a structured format that includes the year and a sequence number, so even a partial number can help narrow down a search.
The Third Circuit Court page and the Third Circuit District Court page both list contact information, case type guides, and courthouse details specific to Hilo. If you find a case in eCourt Kokua but need to pull actual documents, the access instructions at the Hawaii courts records access page explain the steps for in-person visits and mail-in requests.
Not all records are available online. Sealed cases, juvenile matters, and records subject to court orders are excluded from public view in eCourt Kokua. If a case should exist but doesn't appear in a search, contact the court directly rather than assuming the record doesn't exist.
Note: eCourt Kokua covers both circuit and district court cases in the Third Circuit and is the fastest way to find a Hilo case number before visiting Hale Kaulike.
Hilo Police Records and Criminal History
The Hawaii County Police Department serves Hilo and the rest of the Big Island. The main police station and Records Division are located at 349 Kapiolani Street, Hilo, HI 96720. For records requests and general records inquiries, call (808) 961-2233. The Records Division processes requests for police reports, traffic abstracts, and related documents. Fingerprinting services are also available at this location.
The image below is from the Hawaii County Police Department's main website, which includes information about accessing records and requesting reports from incidents handled by the department in Hilo.
The Hawaii County Police Department handles all police report requests for Hilo and the rest of Hawaii County, including traffic accident reports and incident reports.
If you need a criminal history report that goes beyond a single incident, the Hawaii Criminal Justice Data Center (HCJDC) provides statewide records. The HCJDC operates a public access terminal at the Hilo police station location. A printout costs $25 and covers conviction history from all Hawaii courts, not just Hilo. You can find a full list of public access locations on the HCJDC public access sites page. The online search version is available through eCrim, which lets you look up public criminal records by name at no charge.
Police reports related to active criminal cases may not be released until the case is closed or the investigation is complete. This restriction is common across all Hawaii law enforcement agencies and applies to Hilo cases the same way it does elsewhere in the state.
Hilo District Court Docket Cases
The district court at Hale Kaulike handles a high volume of cases every week. Most Hilo residents who deal with the court system do so at the district level, whether for a traffic ticket or a small claims dispute. The range of case types is broad, and many can be resolved without ever going to circuit court.
Small claims cases in Hilo have a $5,000 ceiling. Parties in small claims court represent themselves; attorneys are not used in those hearings. Landlord-tenant matters are also common in the district court docket and can move relatively quickly compared to larger civil cases. Temporary restraining order hearings are scheduled on short notice given their urgency.
Traffic cases make up a large share of the district court docket. Driver's license reinstatement hearings, which allow suspended drivers to petition the court, are also handled here. If you received a citation in Hilo, the ticket itself will typically list the court and a response deadline. Failing to respond or appear can result in a default judgment or a license suspension, so checking the docket through eCourt Kokua to confirm your hearing date is a smart first step.
When a case starts in district court and later moves to circuit court because the charges were upgraded or the civil amount crossed the $40,000 threshold, the docket will show the transfer. Both the original district case and the circuit case will appear in eCourt Kokua under the same parties. Knowing this helps when a search returns multiple case numbers for the same matter.
Note: Driver's license reinstatement hearings in Hilo are handled by the district court at Hale Kaulike, not the circuit court or any DMV office.
Court Records Access Rules for Hilo Cases
Hawaii's Court Records Rules set the framework for public access to court documents statewide. These rules apply in Hilo the same way they apply in Honolulu. Most adult criminal and civil court records are public. Juvenile cases, certain family court matters, sealed cases, and expunged records are not accessible to the general public.
Looking at a case file at the courthouse is free. If you want copies, the cost is $1.00 per page. Certified copies carry an additional $2.00 fee per document. If the document you need is available through eCourt Kokua online, you can download it without paying. The fee structure only kicks in when you need paper copies or records outside the online system. For mail requests, send Form 1CP858 with a check or money order for the estimated fee and include a return envelope.
The Uniform Information Practices Act (UIPA) covers public records held by state agencies more broadly. Courts follow the Court Records Rules primarily, but the UIPA matters when you are seeking records from police departments, county agencies, or other government bodies that are related to a court case. Both laws work together to shape what records you can get and how to ask for them.
The HCJDC, accessible through the HCJDC main page, maintains the statewide criminal history database and operates under its own set of rules for disclosure. That database is a useful supplement to court docket searches when you need a broader picture of a person's case history across all Hawaii courts.
Hawaii County Court Docket Records
Hilo is the county seat of Hawaii County, and all Third Circuit court filings for the Big Island are part of this system. The county page has more detail on courthouse locations across the island, case type breakdowns, and how to access records from areas outside Hilo.
Nearby Cities
These communities are near Hilo and also file court cases through the First Circuit system.