Maui County Genealogy Records
Maui County genealogy records date back to the mid-1800s and cover the islands of Maui, Lanai, Molokai, Kahoolawe, and Molokini, making this one of the richest counties in Hawaii for family history research. Birth, death, marriage, probate, land, and court records are held across several offices in Wailuku, and many collections have been digitized or placed on microfilm. Whether you are tracing Hawaiian, immigrant, or plantation-era ancestors, Maui County offers a wide range of primary sources to work with.
Maui County Overview
Maui County Clerk and Health Office Records
Two main offices handle vital and public records in Maui County. The County Clerk at 200 South High Street in Wailuku keeps county government records and general public files. The Maui District Health Office, run by the Hawaii State Department of Health, handles birth, death, and marriage certificates. Both offices are open Monday through Friday from 7:45 AM to 4:30 PM.
The Maui District Health Office sits at the State Office Building, 54 South High Street, Room 301, Wailuku. Staff there can process applications for certified birth and death certificates and point you toward the right forms for genealogy requests. One important thing to know: no pickup service is available on Maui. You must mail your request or apply through the state online system. All vital records requests for birth, death, marriage, and divorce go through the Hawaii State Department of Health vital records system.
The Maui County government website lists department contacts and details for public records requests beyond vital records. For land documents and deeds, contact the Bureau of Conveyances at (808) 587-0147. Land records on file with the state go back to 1848 and are among the oldest in Hawaii.
The image below shows the Maui District Health Office, which processes vital records requests for Maui County residents and genealogists.
| Office | Address | Phone | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| County Clerk | 200 South High Street, Wailuku, HI 96793 | (808) 243-7825 | Mon-Fri, 7:45 AM - 4:30 PM |
| Maui District Health Office | State Office Building, 54 South High Street, Room 301, Wailuku, HI 96793 | (808) 984-8210 | Mon-Fri, 7:45 AM - 4:30 PM |
| Maui County Courthouse | 2145 Main St, Wailuku, HI 96793 | (808) 244-2929 | Mon-Fri, 7:45 AM - 4:30 PM |
The image below shows the Maui County Government center in Wailuku, where county administrative offices are located.
Second Circuit Court Maui County Records
The Second Circuit Court at 2145 Main Street in Wailuku covers Maui, Lanai, Molokai (except Kalawao County), and Kahoolawe. This court holds some of the oldest legal records in the state. Probate records go back to 1846, and court filings start as early as 1849. If you need marriage certificates from the Second Circuit, those are on file for the years 1905 through 1949. Probate records from 1846 to 1900 plus 1915 are available on microfilm at MFL 55, and an index can be found at Ulukau.
The Hawaii State Judiciary's eCourt Kokua system lets you search case records online. Maui County case IDs follow the format 2XX followed by ten digits. You can search by party name to find genealogy-relevant cases like probate filings, guardianships, and name changes. Document copies cost $3 for regular copies and $5 for certified ones. For records not yet in the online system, contact the Second Circuit Court directly at (808) 244-2929.
Divorce records from the Second Circuit date back to 1848 through 1892, with another run from 1849 to 1915 available through FamilySearch. These can help confirm family connections and establish timelines for ancestors who lived on Maui or the neighboring islands.
Note: Kalawao County is a separate jurisdiction and its records are not handled by the Second Circuit Court.
Historical Maui County Genealogy Records
Maui County has one of the most complete sets of historical vital records in Hawaii. Birth records go back to 1853, with an earlier collection covering 1860 to 1864 and a separate run from 1899 held at the Hawaii State Archives. Death records also start in 1853, with State Archives copies for 1860 to 1864 and 1897 to 1899. Marriage records reach even further back, to 1842. Land records begin in 1848, and probate filings start in 1849. Census records for Maui County go back to 1890.
The Hawaii State Archives digital collection holds many of these early Maui documents. The Hawaii Attorney General's Office and the Bureau of Conveyances manage land title records that genealogists often need to trace property ownership across generations. Land grant records from the Great Mahele of 1848 are particularly useful for tracing Native Hawaiian family lines.
FamilySearch has digitized a large portion of Maui County genealogy records, including birth records from 1841 to 1944, marriage records for Maui Island from 1826 to 1922, and death records from 1841 to 1925. Grantor and grantee land indexes covering 1845 to 1909 are also available. Birth indexes for 1896 to 1909 are held at the Kahului Public Library, which is a good local starting point for researchers who can visit in person.
Maui Historical Society and Archival Resources
The Maui Historical Society at 2375A Main Street in Wailuku is the main private repository for Maui County historical documents. The society holds community records, photographs, maps, and finding aids that cover families, businesses, and institutions across the islands. You can reach them at (808) 244-3326 or by email at info@mauimuseum.org. Their website at mauimuseum.org has background on their collections and how to plan a research visit.
The society's archival resource finding aids are a key tool for genealogists. These guides list the scope of each collection, the date ranges covered, and what types of documents are included. Some collections focus on plantation-era records, which are essential for tracing the many immigrant families who came to Maui from Japan, China, Portugal, Korea, and the Philippines in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
The image below links to the Maui Historical Society's main website, where you can learn about their holdings and visiting hours.
The finding aids page shown below is the best place to start before visiting the society in person. It tells you exactly what is available and helps you plan your research time.
Two other local museums support genealogy research in different ways. The Nisei Veterans Memorial Center in Kahului holds records related to Japanese American families who served in World War II, a resource that matters for many Maui families. The Alexander and Baldwin Sugar Museum in Puunene holds materials related to plantation workers and their communities. Both can fill in gaps that official vital records don't cover.
Note: The Maui Historical Society is open to the public for research visits, but it is best to contact them before you go to confirm access and hours.
Libraries and FamilySearch Centers in Maui County
Maui County has eight public libraries with genealogy resources, and several of them hold microfilm, indexes, and reference materials specific to Hawaii family history. The Kahului Public Library is the most important for genealogists because it holds birth indexes for 1896 to 1909. All public libraries in the state are listed at librarieshawaii.org. The full list of Maui County libraries includes Hana, Kahului, Kihei, Lahaina, Lanai, Makawao, Molokai, and Wailuku branches.
FamilySearch operates several free genealogy centers on Maui where staff and volunteers can help you search digital collections, order microfilm, and access records not available online. Maui County FamilySearch centers are located in Hana, Kahului (phone (808) 877-0586), Kihei, Lahaina, Lanai, and Pukalani/Makawao. No appointment is needed at most locations, though calling ahead is a good idea. These centers give free access to FamilySearch's full database, which includes many Maui County genealogy collections that are not accessible on public computers without a login.
Cemeteries, Funeral Homes, and Burial Records
Funeral home records and cemetery registers are often the last source researchers check, but they can confirm death dates, burial locations, and family relationships not recorded elsewhere. Maui County has several active funeral homes that hold historical records going back decades. These include Ballard Family Mortuary in Kahului, Doorway Into Light in Haiku, Nakamura Mortuary and Crematory in Wailuku, Norman's Mortuary in Wailuku, Maui Memorial Park in Kualapuu, and Valley Isle Memorial Park in Wailuku. Contacting these directly is the best way to find out what records they hold and how far back they go.
Haleakala National Park, which sits in the eastern part of Maui, also has historical significance for family research. The park's records touch on land use, burials, and cultural sites connected to Native Hawaiian families who lived in the area for generations. The National Park Service Haleakala site provides background on the park's history and how to contact the resource management staff about historical documentation. Researchers tracing families from the Kula or Kipahulu areas may find relevant material through the park's archives.
Cemetery records for Maui are also partially indexed through FamilySearch and various volunteer genealogy projects. Searching by surname in the FamilySearch catalog under Maui County can turn up cemetery transcriptions made by local researchers over the past several decades.
Cities in Maui County
Maui County includes several communities across the island of Maui. The largest cities each have their own genealogy records pages with more detail on local courthouse access, libraries, and research resources specific to that area.
Nearby Hawaii Counties
If your ancestor lived on a different island or if records were transferred between jurisdictions, you may need to check other Hawaii counties. Each county maintains its own circuit court and vital records office.
- Honolulu County - First Circuit Court, largest genealogy record collection in the state
- Hawaii County - Third Circuit Court, covers the Big Island
- Kauai County - Fifth Circuit Court, covers Kauai and Niihau
- Kalawao County - separate jurisdiction on Molokai, leprosy settlement records