Access Kauai County Civil Court Records
Kauai County Civil Court Records flow through the Fifth Judicial Circuit at Pu'uhonua Kaulike in Lihu'e. Case files live with the Circuit Court, District Court, and Family Court clerks, all housed in one building. You can search Kauai County Civil Court Records online through eCourt Kokua, walk up to a public terminal at the Lihu'e courthouse, or mail a request to the Legal Documents Branch. The Fifth Circuit covers both Kauai and Niihau. This page shows how to look up civil cases in Kauai County and where each type of file sits.
Kauai County Civil Court Records Overview
Where Kauai County Civil Court Records Live
Kauai County takes in the islands of Kauai and Niihau. The Fifth Judicial Circuit handles every civil case filed here. Unlike Oahu, the whole county runs out of one court building. Pu'uhonua Kaulike, at 3970 Ka'ana Street, Lihu'e, HI 96766, holds the Circuit Court, the District Court, and the Family Court under one roof. Fewer courthouses mean fewer chances to get lost when you hunt for Civil Court Records in Kauai County. The court is also the smallest of the four active circuits in Hawaii by case load.
Circuit Court in Kauai takes civil suits over forty thousand dollars, probate, land title, and appeals. District Court takes civil cases up to forty thousand, small claims up to five thousand, and landlord-tenant disputes.
The Hawaii court locations page lists Pu'uhonua Kaulike and gives the full mailing stop for Kauai County Civil Court Records requests. The Fifth Circuit main line is 808-482-2300. The Legal Documents Branch rings at 808-482-2330. The District Court clerk answers at 808-482-2303. Family Court goes through 808-482-2330. Fax any written request to 808-482-2553. Hours run 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, just like the rest of the state.
Note: The name Pu'uhonua Kaulike means "place of refuge and justice" in Hawaiian, a fitting title for the courthouse that keeps Kauai's Civil Court Records.
Search Kauai County Civil Court Records Online
eCourt Kokua is the main online tool for Kauai County Civil Court Records. The portal pulls Circuit, District, and Family Court cases from across the state. To find a Kauai case, you pick "Fifth Circuit" from the court drop-down. You can search by party name, case number, or attorney name. Results show hearing dates, docket entries, and brief case summaries. Start at eCourt Kokua. Browsing is free. A document purchase costs three dollars for up to thirty pages, then ten cents per extra page.
Case numbers in the Fifth Circuit use the digit 5 up front. A short case ID like 12345 becomes 5CC000012345 in the full eCourt Kokua format. Civil cases use 5CC, small claims use 5RC, and probate uses 5P. Type the full twelve-character ID for a direct hit.
To get the most from an online search in Kauai County, it helps to have:
- Full name of at least one party
- A rough year for the filing date
- The case number if you already have it
- The case type such as civil, small claims, or probate
Third-party guides also cover Kauai County Civil Court Records. The site at hawaiicourtrecords.us/kauai walks through case types, fees at the Lihu'e clerk's counter, and tips for getting clean search hits in eCourt Kokua. Another local guide at kauairecords.us maps out the Fifth Circuit and lists the main phone numbers for Kauai County clerks.
Pu'uhonua Kaulike Courthouse in Lihu'e
Pu'uhonua Kaulike is the one building that holds almost all Kauai County Civil Court Records. It sits at 3970 Ka'ana Street, Lihu'e, just off the Kaumualii Highway. The Fifth Circuit Court, the Fifth Circuit District Court, and the Fifth Circuit Family Court all share the space. That means a trip to Lihu'e covers nearly every civil need in Kauai County.
The Circuit Court side handles civil suits over forty thousand dollars and serves both Kauai and Niihau. Phone 808-482-2300. The District Court handles civil suits up to forty thousand, small claims, landlord-tenant cases, and traffic. Phone 808-482-2303. Family Court handles divorce, custody, paternity, adoption, and abuse cases. Phone 808-482-2330. The Children's Justice Center for Kauai sits a short drive away at 4473 Pahee Street, Suite M, Lihu'e. For case-specific queries, email JIMSQUERY.5CC@courts.hawaii.gov or call 808-482-2673.
A local third-party guide maps out the Fifth Circuit District Court and lists the Kauai County clerk phones at the Lihu'e courthouse in one place. The Legal Documents Branch at Pu'uhonua Kaulike uses the same request to access court records form as the First Circuit. Drop it off, mail it in, or fax it to 808-482-2553. Staff will pull the file and quote copy fees before they print.
| Division | Phone |
|---|---|
| Fifth Circuit Court | 808-482-2300 |
| Fifth District Court | 808-482-2303 |
| Family Court | 808-482-2330 |
| Legal Documents Branch | 808-482-2330 |
| Law Library | 808-482-2327 |
| Case Query Line | 808-482-2673 |
Public Access Terminals for Kauai County Civil Court Records
The Fifth Circuit keeps free public access terminals at Pu'uhonua Kaulike. Kauai County residents can use them to search Civil Court Records without an eCourt Kokua subscription. Terminals sit in the legal documents area and near the law library, both on the ground floor.
The terminals run the same search tool as the online eCourt Kokua portal. You can view docket entries and hearing notes at no cost. Printing a page still costs one dollar for the first page and fifty cents for each extra page, paid at the clerk's counter. Bring a USB drive if you want to save rather than print, but check with staff first. Public access terminal hours match the Kauai courthouse schedule of 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Staff at the Lihu'e courthouse can help you start a search or locate a case number. They cannot give legal advice, draft forms, or tell you what to file. For that kind of help, see the legal aid section below.
Fees for Kauai County Civil Court Records
Copy fees for Kauai County Civil Court Records follow the Hawaii Rules of the Circuit Courts. At the Pu'uhonua Kaulike clerk's counter, plain copies cost one dollar for the first page and fifty cents per extra page. A certification stamp adds five dollars. Fax service within Hawaii is two dollars first page, one dollar per extra page. Faxes to the mainland jump to five dollars first page, two dollars per extra page.
eCourt Kokua posts documents at three dollars a pop, up to thirty pages. Each extra page costs ten cents. Heavy users can buy a quarter pass for one hundred twenty-five dollars, or a yearly pass for five hundred dollars.
Filing fees for new civil cases in Kauai County vary by court. Small claims cases in District Court sit at the low end. Kauai County District Court civil cases over five thousand but under forty thousand cost more. Circuit Court civil cases over forty thousand carry the highest filing fees. The Hawaii Judiciary forms index posts the latest fee tables and filing packets. Fee waivers are available under Rule 8 of the Hawaii Rules of the Circuit Courts for low-income filers. Ask the Lihu'e clerk for the in forma pauperis form.
Note: Cash, check, or credit card all work at the Pu'uhonua Kaulike clerk's counter, but mailed fee payments must be by check or money order.
Fifth Circuit Rules and UIPA for Kauai County
Access to Kauai County Civil Court Records follows the Uniform Information Practices Act, coded as Hawaii Revised Statutes Chapter 92F. UIPA opens all government records to the public unless a law seals them. Court-specific rules come from the Hawaii Court Records Rules, with Rule 10 as the key clause for case file access, and the Rules of the Circuit Courts, which apply to every Fifth Circuit civil filing in Lihu'e.
Most civil filings in Kauai County stay open to the public. Sealed files include juvenile matters, some mental health cases, and adoptions. The Lihu'e clerk may ask for a photo ID and a contact form before handing over paper files under Rule 10.7.
The Office of Information Practices steps in if the court denies access. You can file a UIPA request for records the clerk says are off limits and let OIP review the call. Most OIP reviews wrap up in a few weeks. Attorneys and self-represented parties can also e-file new civil cases through JEFS, the judiciary electronic filing system, which lets Kauai County users skip a trip to Lihu'e for many filings.
Legal Aid and Self-Help on Kauai
Several groups help Kauai County residents with civil cases. The Legal Aid Society of Hawaii runs a Kauai office that serves low-income clients in Lihu'e and across the island. Volunteer Legal Services Hawaii places volunteer attorneys on short-term Kauai family and civil cases. The Hawaii State Bar Association runs a lawyer referral line for paid consults with Kauai-based attorneys.
The Fifth Circuit Court Law Library sits inside Pu'uhonua Kaulike at 3970 Ka'ana Street, Suite 100, Lihu'e. Phone 808-482-2327. Hours match the Lihu'e courthouse schedule. The library is open to the public and holds court rules, case reporters, and treatises that cover Kauai civil procedure, land title, and probate. Staff can point users at the right book but cannot draft motions.
The third-party guide at hawaiicourtrecords.us/kauai covers Kauai case types, record requests, and tips for using eCourt Kokua. The UH Manoa Hawaii courts research guide is a strong self-help source, and the hawaiicourts.org Kauai County page gives another plain-English overview for people new to the Fifth Circuit in Kauai.
Historical Kauai County Civil Court Records
Old Kauai County Civil Court Records live at the Hawaii State Archives in Honolulu. The archives hold Fifth Circuit Court files from 1848 to 1970. Kauai and Niihau were the Fourth Circuit before 1892, then switched to the Fifth. Records include civil, criminal, divorce, equity, guardianship, law, naturalization, and probate proceedings. Many files from the Kingdom period are in Hawaiian, with English added later.
Series 251 holds Civil and Criminal Minute Books from 1848 to 1970 in thirty-seven oversize volumes. Series 258 holds District Court of the Fifth Circuit Minute Books from 1867 to 1954 in eighty-six oversize volumes, arranged by the old districts of Hanalei, Kawaihae, Koloa, Lihue, and Waimea. Kawaihae appears in the list even though it sits on Hawaii Island, a quirk from the early Kingdom court lines.
The main portal at kauairecords.us lists the Kauai County archives contact plus the modern Kauai court phone lines. For a deeper dive, the UH Manoa Hawaii courts guide walks through how to pull a Kauai civil record from the Lihu'e archive stacks and what to expect once you get there.
Cities and Towns on Kauai
Kauai is the most remote of the main Hawaiian Islands and has no listed city on our site. Every civil case filed in Kauai County still routes through Pu'uhonua Kaulike in Lihu'e.
Lihu'e is the county seat and the home of the Fifth Circuit courthouse. Other towns on Kauai, such as Kapaa, Hanalei, Princeville, Waimea, and Koloa, send their cases to the same Lihu'e court. Niihau, the privately held island to the west, has a tiny permanent population and few court filings, but any civil case from Niihau also lands at Pu'uhonua Kaulike. None of these towns have their own page on this site, so they are listed here as plain text.
Nearby Hawaii Counties
The other four Hawaii counties sit on nearby islands. If a case was filed outside Kauai, check the county below.