Kalawao County Public Records
Kalawao County public records cover the Kalaupapa Peninsula on the north coast of Molokai. This is the smallest county in the country by land area. Kalawao has no county government and no elected officials. Records are held by state agencies. The Hawaii Department of Health runs the county. Most Kalawao County public records live in state archives, the Hansen's Disease Program file room, and the Kalaupapa National Historical Park records desk. This page shows where to look for each type of Kalawao County public records and how to file a request.
Kalawao County Overview
Kalaupapa Historical Public Records
Kalaupapa National Historical Park holds the bulk of Kalawao County historical records. The park keeps patient name records, photograph records, site records, and written records from the settlement years. Kalawao County was set up in 1905 to hold the Kalaupapa Leprosy Settlement. The settlement ran from 1866 to 1969. Father Damien and Mother Marianne Cope cared for patients on the peninsula. Their work is tracked in park records, church records, and state file records. The park shares non-restricted records with researchers on request.
Many Kalawao County records get privacy holds to shield patient names and medical details. Non-restricted Kalawao records cover the site map records, trail records, building records, and general history records of the settlement. Park staff can point you to the right archive records for your Kalawao County topic. Kalaupapa is still closed to the public, so most Kalawao records work happens off site through mail, email, and scan requests.
Start a historical records search at the Kalaupapa National Historical Park records page for Kalawao County.
The park site links to people records, place records, a published works list, and a staff contact for records help.
The park also keeps a bibliography of works on Kalaupapa and Kalawao County. Each source in the bibliography points to a place where records live. Some records sit with the National Park Service. Other Kalawao records sit with state agencies. A few Kalawao County records sit with church orders that sent staff to care for patients. The park also holds photo records, cemetery records, and building plan records for the Kalawao site.
Note: Kalawao County access is tightly controlled. Most records research happens by phone, email, or mail rather than by walk-in records visits.
Hawaii DOH Kalawao Records
The Hawaii Department of Health runs Kalawao County. The DOH Hansen's Disease Program keeps current and past records tied to the Kalaupapa Settlement. Patient medical records stay sealed. General records on the settlement, the program, and the disease in Hawaii are open. The program works with the National Park Service to manage the peninsula. Only a small group of former patients still live at Kalaupapa. In time, full site records and site control will pass to the Park Service.
To ask for Kalawao County records from the DOH, use the Hawaii DOH Hansen's Disease Program page. The page lists a records contact, a mailing address, and a phone line for record requests.
The DOH records site also links out to vital records, health license records, and open records contact info that Kalawao County residents may need. Kalawao County residents use the same DOH records portal that serves the rest of Hawaii.
Kalawao County vital records like birth records, death records, and marriage records go through the state. File a records request with the Hawaii DOH Vital Records office. The office keeps modern vital records for the whole state, including the few events that happen in Kalawao County each year. Older Kalawao vital records sit with the State Archives records room.
Kalawao Records at State Archives
The Hawaii State Archives keeps old Kalawao County records. Holdings cover patient register records, Board of Health records, photograph records, official letter records, and land records tied to the settlement. The Archives sits on the Iolani Palace grounds in Honolulu. Staff will set up a reading room appointment for records research. Some records carry privacy holds to protect patient identity.
The State Archives also digitized the Indexes to Marriages records, 1826 to 1929, and the Indexes to Divorces records, 1848 to 1929. Both Kalawao index sets cover records from Kalawao County along with the rest of Hawaii. You can search these Kalawao records online by name, year, and place. The index then points to the full paper records held by the Archives records room.
Start a Kalawao County archive search on the Hawaii State Archives records page, which lists finding aids and contact info for staff.
For federal archive copies tied to Kalawao County, try the National Archives Hawaii research page. Federal records may touch Kalawao in land records, census records, and public health correspondence records. Staff can scan Kalawao records for a small fee. The National Archives also holds Kalawao settlement paperwork records from the early territorial years.
Note: Kalawao County records older than 70 years often open up once privacy holds run out, but the State Archives still screens each records request case by case.
Kalawao County Land Records
The Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources, or DLNR, manages the land at Kalaupapa. Land records for Kalawao County live with the state. There is no county assessor. The DLNR holds lease records, permit records, and site use records for the peninsula. The state Bureau of Conveyances keeps deed records for the small number of private parcels that sit inside the county.
To view Kalawao County land records, start at the DLNR records portal, which links to Kalawao land use records and permit records for state-run sites.
The DLNR page also lists the state parks records, forestry records, and historic site records that overlap with Kalaupapa National Historical Park work.
Deed records and title records for Kalawao County sit with the Hawaii Bureau of Conveyances. Pull up a Kalawao parcel records file by book and page records or by document records number. Most Kalawao County parcel records are state or federal holdings rather than private homes. Lease records, easement records, and right of way records for the Kalawao peninsula also live in the Bureau of Conveyances records system.
Kalawao County UIPA Requests
A UIPA records request lets anyone ask a Hawaii agency for a public record. There is no records filing fee. The agency can bill for records search time, records review time, and records redaction time, but only up to actual cost. Most short records asks come back free. For Kalawao County, the records agency is usually the Hawaii DOH, the State Archives, or the DLNR. Write a short, clear records request. List the date range and the type of records you want.
Under HRS §92F, agencies must reply to a Kalawao records request in a set time. The Office of Information Practices, or OIP, handles questions about records access and privacy. OIP can step in if an agency denies a Kalawao County records request without cause. Sensitive parts of a Kalawao records file may be held back under HRS §92F-13, such as patient name records, medical data records, and home address records.
File a Kalawao County UIPA records request through the Hawaii Office of Information Practices UIPA page.
The OIP page lists sample request letters, records rules, and past opinion records that show how agencies must handle tricky records asks.
For a Kalawao County records request to a state office in Honolulu, you can also use the Hawaii DCCA open records form. The DCCA records office sits at 335 Merchant Street, Room 310, Honolulu, HI 96813. Call 808-586-2850 for help with your Kalawao records filing. The DCCA records staff route each request to the right program records desk.
Court Records for Kalawao
Kalawao County does not have its own court. Kalawao court records route through the Second Circuit Court on Maui. The Second Circuit covers Maui, Molokai, Lanai, and Kalawao County. Kalawao case records are thin because the county has so few residents. Any civil filings, probate filings, or small claim filings from the Kalawao peninsula go through the Second Circuit records system.
To search Kalawao County court records, use the Hawaii eCourt Kokua records portal.
eCourt Kokua lets you search Kalawao court records by party name, case ID, or citation number. Regular court records copies cost $3. Certified court records cost $5 or 10 cents per page, whichever is more. A records subscription runs $125 per quarter or $500 per year and covers unlimited Kalawao County court records downloads.
Visiting and Access Rules
Access to Kalawao County is limited. The Kalawao peninsula still hosts a small group of former Hansen's Disease patients. State and federal rules bar open public visits. Day permit records are required and are issued by the Hawaii DOH. Children under 16 are not allowed in Kalawao. This Kalawao access rule is old and tied to the settlement period.
Because access is so tight, most Kalawao County records work is done off site. You can mail a records request, email a records request, or call the agency that holds the records. Park and state staff will scan records, copy records, or send a photo records set by email when the Kalawao file is open. Each Kalawao County records reply lists the fee and the wait time.
For visit permit records and site rules, check the Kalaupapa visit planning page. The page covers permit records, boat and air access records, and the small commercial tour options.
Other Kalawao County Records
Some Kalawao County records sit with state offices that cover the whole state. Use the list below to jump to the right page for the record type you need. The same state agencies that serve Oahu, Maui, and Hawaii Island also serve Kalawao County, since the peninsula has no local offices.
- Hawaii Department of Health Vital Records for Kalawao birth, death, and marriage records
- Hawaii Department of Taxation for Kalawao state tax records
- Hawaii State Archives for Kalaupapa settlement history records
- Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources for Kalawao land use records
- Hawaii Office of Information Practices for UIPA rules and records opinion letters
Tip: Before you file a Kalawao County records request, check the Kalaupapa park records site and the DOH Hansen's Disease Program records page for records that are already posted.
Communities in Kalawao County
Kalawao County has only one active community: the Kalaupapa Settlement on the north shore of Molokai. The former village of Kalawao sits on the east side of the Kalawao peninsula and is now mostly park land. No project city pages exist for Kalawao County because the total Kalawao population is too small to meet our threshold. Records for all Kalawao residents route through state agencies rather than a city hall. Kalawao County residents use Maui County offices for many day to day records needs.
Nearby Hawaii Counties
These counties sit across the channels from Kalawao. The rest of Molokai is part of Maui County records territory. For records that cover the broader region, use the records links below.