Wailuku Death Records and Index
Wailuku is the county seat of Maui County and home to the Maui District Health Office, making it the most important local hub for death index records on Maui. Residents and researchers who need to find or request a certified death certificate for anyone who died in Maui County can get guidance at the MDHO in Wailuku. Certified copies are not issued here, but the process starts here for many Maui residents. This page explains how to access death records, what local resources are available, and how to search historical death index records for Wailuku and Maui County.
Wailuku Overview
Wailuku and the Maui District Health Office
As the county seat of Maui, Wailuku is where the Maui District Health Office is located. The MDHO is at the State Office Building, 54 South High Street, Room 301, Wailuku, HI 96793. Phone: (808) 984-8210. The office provides information on requesting certified copies of marriage, civil union, birth, and death records. Staff can help Wailuku residents understand the process, explain what documents to submit, and answer questions about the online ordering system.
The Maui District Health Office in Wailuku is the central local resource for Maui County death index questions, providing guidance on the state ordering process for all Maui residents including Wailuku.
Certified death certificates are not issued at the MDHO. They come only from the state Office of Health Status Monitoring in Honolulu and are mailed to the requester. No pickup service is available on Maui. This applies to all Wailuku residents even though they live in the county seat. The most practical route is online ordering through the eHawaii Vital Records portal. Orders can also go by mail to: State Department of Health, Office of Health Status Monitoring, P.O. Box 3378, Honolulu, HI 96801.
| Office | Maui District Health Office |
|---|---|
| Address | 54 South High St., Room 301, Wailuku, HI 96793 |
| Phone | (808) 984-8210 |
| Online Orders | vitrec.ehawaii.gov |
| Pickup on Maui | Not available — all certs mailed from Honolulu |
Note: Death certificates are issued only by the Office of Health Status Monitoring in Honolulu; no death certificates are issued at the Maui District Health Office in Wailuku.
How to Request a Wailuku Death Certificate
The first certified copy of a death certificate costs $10.00. Each additional copy of the same record ordered at the same time is $4.00. Online orders include a $2.50 portal fee. Payment online is by credit or debit card only. Mail payments must be 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 record is not found.
Under Hawaii Revised Statutes Section 338-18, certified copies are restricted to people with a direct and tangible interest in the record. Eligible parties include the spouse, parents, children, grandchildren, siblings, grandparents, legal guardians, and estate representatives of the deceased. A court order also qualifies. Those who cannot establish a qualifying connection may request a $5.00 verification letter. Public index data, which includes name, age, sex, date, event type, and file number, is available without restriction. Records 75 years or older are fully public for genealogical research.
Wailuku Obituary and Local Death Record Resources
Nakamura Mortuary is one of the established funeral homes in Wailuku, maintaining obituary records for Maui County residents. Obituaries from Nakamura and other local mortuaries often include the full name, date of death, age, birthplace, family members, and funeral details. This information is valuable when preparing a death certificate request because the state system uses exact name matching.
Nakamura Mortuary has served the Wailuku community for many years and maintains obituary records that help researchers confirm death dates and gather the details needed for an official death certificate request.
Maui Memorial Park and Cemetery in Wailuku maintains obituaries for individuals who have passed in Wailuku and throughout Maui County. Valley Isle Memorial Park is a cemetery and memorial park serving the broader Wailuku area with burial records that include dates and locations useful for tracking official death certificates. Maui Now and The Maui News both cover Wailuku obituaries online. The Wailuku Public Library provides computer access for the online vital records ordering system.
Second Circuit Court and Probate Records
The Second Circuit Court at 2145 Main Street, Wailuku, HI 96793 is the probate court for all of Maui County. It handles estate administration, guardianships, and will contests. Wailuku residents dealing with an estate need to file at the Second Circuit Court. Probate records document death information and family relationships that supplement what appears in a death certificate. The Hawaii State Archives holds Deaths - Probates Index - Second Circuit covering historical Maui County probate records.
The Ulukau Hawaiian Electronic Library makes the Second Circuit probate index available online. For Wailuku researchers looking at Maui estate records from the 19th or early 20th century, Ulukau is the starting point before visiting the State Archives in Honolulu. Divorce records from January 2003 to present are at the Second Circuit Court. Divorce records from July 1951 through December 2002 are at the Hawaii Department of Health.
Historical Wailuku Death Index Records
The Maui Historical Society compiled two newspaper indexes to The Maui News. The 1900-1950 index, compiled by Gail Bartholomew and Judy Lindstrom, lists obituaries by person's name in two print volumes at the Hawaii Pacific reference desk. The 1951-1973 index, compiled by Gail Ainsworth, lists obituaries under "Denots" in print format at the same desk. These indexes are the primary tool for tracing Wailuku and Maui County family histories through the first half of the 20th century.
FamilySearch's Maui County guide covers 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 holds Maui Island marriage records from 1842 through 1929 and the Second Circuit probate index. The Maui County official website provides broader county service information.
Nearby Cities
Kahului and Kihei are the other Maui County cities with dedicated death index pages.
Wailuku County
Wailuku is the county seat of Maui County. Death index records for the county are handled through the Hawaii State Department of Health and the Second Circuit Court.