Maui County Death Records Index

The Maui County death index covers records from the islands of Maui, Lanai, and Molokai, giving researchers and family members a way to find death certificates and historical vital records through state offices and local sources. Whether you are tracing a relative or confirming a date of death, this guide explains exactly where to look and how to request what you need.

Where Maui County Death Index Records Are Kept

The Maui District Health Office (MDHO) in Wailuku is the local point of contact for vital records questions in Maui County, but it does not issue death certificates directly. The office is located at the State Office Building, 54 South High Street, Room 301, Wailuku, HI 96793, and can be reached by phone at (808) 984-8210. Staff there can help you understand the request process and direct you to the right form or online portal. They handle questions about death records for Maui, Molokai, and Lanai.

All death certificates for Maui County are issued by the Office of Health Status Monitoring in Honolulu, not by the MDHO. This is true no matter which island the death occurred on. Maui County has no pickup service for death certificates. Once your request is processed, the state mails the certificate to you from Honolulu. Plan for this when you are working against a deadline.

How to Request Death Records in Maui County

Requests for Maui County death index records go through the Hawaii State Department of Health's online portal at vitrec.ehawaii.gov/vitalrecords. You can also mail a request to the Office of Health Status Monitoring in Honolulu. The online system is the fastest route for most people, and orders placed there typically move through the process more quickly than paper mail requests. The portal accepts major credit cards and debit cards.

The fee for a Maui County death certificate is $10 for the first certified copy. Each additional copy ordered at the same time costs $4. There is also a $2.50 portal fee added to online orders. If you need more than one copy, ordering them all at once saves both money and time. Attorneys, funeral directors, and some government agencies can request records on behalf of an eligible person.

Who can get a certified death certificate? Hawaii law limits access to close family members, legal representatives, and others with a documented need. If you do not qualify for a certified copy, you may be able to get an informational copy. These do not have the legal certification stamp and cannot be used for most official purposes, but they do show the same core information.

Second Circuit Court and Maui Probate Records

The Second Circuit Court in Wailuku handles probate cases for all of Maui County, including Maui, Molokai, and Lanai. The court is located at 2145 Main Street, Wailuku, HI 96793. When someone dies and leaves an estate, probate often creates a paper trail that is tied to the death record. Probate files can include the death date, a copy of the death certificate, and the names of heirs and beneficiaries. These records are sometimes easier to access than a sealed vital record.

Divorce records are also held here. Records filed from January 2003 onward are at the Second Circuit Court. For divorce records from July 1951 through December 2002, you need to contact the Hawaii State Department of Health. Records older than that may be at the State Archives. You can reach the court by email at honkikihelp@courts.hawaii.gov for questions about case access and document requests. The State Archives also holds a Deaths and Probates Index for the Second Circuit, which is useful for genealogy research spanning back many decades.

Local Obituary and Burial Resources for Maui County

Obituaries and burial records are not official death index records, but they often contain the same key data: full name, date of death, place of death, birthplace, surviving family members, and funeral arrangements. For Maui County, several strong local sources are worth checking before or after you request a certified certificate.

Maui Now maintains a searchable online obituary database at obituaries.mauinow.com. Each listing typically includes the person's name, age at death, date, place of death, birthplace, and family members. The database covers communities across Maui, Molokai, and parts of the county that are not always well represented in statewide sources. There is a guestbook feature that sometimes adds additional context from people who knew the deceased.

The Maui News is the primary newspaper for Maui County, covering Maui, Molokai, and Lanai. Its obituary section at mauinews.com/obituaries is a strong resource for recent deaths and some historical notices. Listings usually include the person's occupation, biographical details, and funeral information. Communities covered include Kahului, Wailuku, Kihei, Lahaina, Kula, Hana, and Kaunakakai on Molokai.

For burial records, two key local facilities are worth contacting. Maui Memorial Park in Wailuku operates an online obituary section at mauimemorialpark.com/obituaries. Nakamura Mortuary in Wailuku, reachable at nakamuramortuary.com, is one of the oldest established funeral homes in the county and keeps obituary records going back many years.

The Maui Historical Society compiled two newspaper indexes that are held at the Hawaii Pacific reference desk. The first covers the Maui News from 1900 to 1950 and was compiled by Gail Bartholomew. The second runs from 1951 to 1973 and was compiled by Gail Ainsworth. Obituaries in the first index are listed by the person's name. In the second, they appear under the heading "Denots." These print indexes are a good supplement to digital searches for that era.

Historical Maui County Death Records and Genealogy

For deaths in Maui County that predate the modern vital records system, FamilySearch is the best free starting point. The FamilySearch wiki page for Maui County, Hawaii Genealogy lists the specific record collections available, including the Hawaii Death Records and Death Registers from 1841 to 1925 and the Hawaii Deaths and Burials collection covering 1862 to 1919. There is also a Vital Statistics Collection for Maui and Molokai covering the years 1826 to 1929, including Maui Island records from 1842 through 1929.

The Ulukau Hawaiian Electronic Library at ulukau.org holds the Deaths and Probates Index for the Second Circuit, which covers Maui County. This index can help you locate probate records tied to specific deaths when the death record itself is hard to find or is sealed under Hawaii's privacy rules.

The Hawaii State Archives holds additional Maui County death materials. The Digital Archives portal at digitalarchives.hawaii.gov provides online access to some of these collections. For records not yet digitized, researchers can visit the State Archives in Honolulu or submit a written request. The State Archives is managed by the Department of Accounting and General Services and is reachable through ags.hawaii.gov/archives.

Maui County Death Record Access Laws

Hawaii Revised Statutes Section 338-18 governs who can access death records in the state, including Maui County records. The full text of HRS 338-18 is available for review. Under this law, certified death certificates are restricted to direct family members, legal representatives, and people with a clear legal interest in the record. Casual researchers cannot simply request a certified copy without showing a qualifying relationship.

There is an important exception for genealogy researchers. Death records that are 75 years old or older become accessible to any member of the public upon request. This means that records from before 1951 (as of 2026) are generally open. You still need to submit a request to the state and pay the standard fee, but the eligibility restriction no longer applies once the 75-year threshold is crossed.

Records for deaths that occurred more recently are closed to the general public. If you need access and do not qualify under HRS 338-18, your best legal option is to work through a licensed attorney or submit a court order. The state does not grant exceptions based on genealogical interest alone for records within the 75-year window.

Cities in Maui County

Maui County includes communities on three islands. The cities below have dedicated death index pages with local courthouse details, resources, and search guidance.

Other Hawaii Counties