Search Kahului Death Index Records
Kahului is the commercial hub of Maui and home to the island's main port. Residents who need to search the death index or request a certified death certificate go through the Hawaii State Department of Health system. The Maui District Health Office in nearby Wailuku is the closest resource for guidance, though death certificates are mailed from the Honolulu office. This guide covers how Kahului residents access death records, what local resources exist, and where historical death index data can be found.
Kahului Overview
Where Kahului Residents Get Death Index Records
There is no vital records office in Kahului itself. The closest official resource is the Maui District Health Office located a few miles away in Wailuku at 54 South High Street, Room 301. Phone: (808) 984-8210. Staff there can answer questions about requesting death records and walk you through the online ordering process. Death certificates, however, are not issued at the Maui office. They come only from the state Office of Health Status Monitoring in Honolulu.
The Maui District Health Office in Wailuku is the main local contact for Maui County death records questions and assists Kahului residents with the vital records request process.
All certified death certificates for Kahului residents are mailed from Honolulu. No pickup service is available on Maui. The most practical option is online ordering through the eHawaii Vital Records portal. Records are available from July 1909 to the present. Mail requests go to: State Department of Health, Office of Health Status Monitoring, P.O. Box 3378, Honolulu, HI 96801. Processing time is currently 6 to 8 weeks.
Note: No pickup service is available on Maui for death certificates, which are only issued by the Office of Health Status Monitoring in Honolulu and mailed to the requester.
Requesting a Kahului Death Certificate
The cost is $10.00 for the first certified copy and $4.00 for each additional copy of the same record ordered at the same time. Online orders add a $2.50 portal fee. Payment online is by credit or debit card only. Mail orders require a cashier's check or money order payable to State Department of Health. All fees are non-refundable. The $10.00 search fee applies even if the requested record is not found.
To complete an online order you need the name as it appears on the certificate and the date of death in MM/DD/YYYY format. You must upload a government-issued photo ID and proof of your relationship to the deceased. Under Hawaii Revised Statutes Section 338-18, certified copies go only to those with a direct and tangible interest in the record. Eligible parties include the spouse, parents, children, grandchildren, siblings, grandparents, legal guardians, and estate representatives. A court order also works. People who cannot show a qualifying relationship may request a $5.00 verification letter but cannot get a certified copy.
Records that are 75 or more years old become public under HRS 338-18. Anyone can request genealogical access to those older death certificates. This provision makes research into early Maui settlement history and 20th-century family records much more accessible.
Kahului Obituary and Local Death Record Resources
Maui Now operates an online obituary database covering current and recent death notices for Kahului and all of Maui County. Entries typically include the full name, age at death, date of death, birthplace, biographical summary, surviving family members, and funeral details. That information is what you need to complete a formal death certificate request.
Maui Now's searchable obituary archive covers the full island of Maui including Kahului, making it a practical first stop before placing a formal request with the state.
The Maui News is the primary newspaper serving Kahului and all of Maui County including Molokai and Lanai. It runs current obituaries and maintains a recent archive. Entries typically list the deceased's name, age, date and place of death, occupation, and family members. Ballard Family Mortuary has a Kahului location and serves central Maui residents with funeral services and obituary records. Maui Memorial Medical Center in Kahului is the main hospital for Maui County; deaths there are filed with the Hawaii State DOH.
The Kahului Public Library provides computer access for residents using the online vital records ordering system. If you need help navigating the eHawaii portal or want access to genealogical databases, the library is a good local starting point.
Second Circuit Court and Maui Probate
Kahului residents handling a probate matter use the Second Circuit Court at 2145 Main Street in Wailuku. The court handles estate administration, guardianships, and will contests for all of Maui County. Probate records often contain death dates, family names, and property information that supplement official death certificate data.
The Hawaii State Archives holds Deaths - Probates Index - Second Circuit, covering historical Maui County probate records. If you are researching a Kahului ancestor who died in the 19th or early 20th century, the Second Circuit probate index is a key source. The Ulukau Hawaiian Electronic Library makes this index accessible online alongside other Maui County genealogy resources.
Historical Kahului Death Index and Genealogy
The Maui Historical Society compiled two newspaper indexes from The Maui News. The first covers 1900 to 1950, organized by person's name in two print volumes at the Hawaii Pacific reference desk. The second covers 1951 to 1973, with obituaries listed under "Denots." These indexes are critical for tracing Kahului and central Maui family histories through the first half of the 20th century.
FamilySearch's Maui County guide covers several digital databases relevant to Kahului residents: Hawaii Death Records and Death Registers 1841-1925, Hawaii Deaths and Burials 1862-1919, and the Vital Statistics Collection for Maui Island from 1842 to 1929. The Hawaii State Archives Digital Archives holds digitized Maui vital statistics records searchable by name. The Hawaii State Archives in Honolulu holds the original collections along with Maui Island marriage records from 1842 through 1929.
The University of Hawaii at Manoa Library's Hawaii Genealogy Research Guide ties together these resources, covering the Vital Statistics Collection, Ulukau indexes, State Archives holdings, and the newspaper obituary index going back to 1836. It is worth reviewing before starting any Maui County death records research project.
Nearby Cities
Wailuku and Kihei are the other Maui County cities with dedicated death index pages.
Kahului County
Kahului is in Maui County. Death records for the county are handled through the state Department of Health and the Second Circuit Court.