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Small Claims

Filing a Small Claim – Oʻahu, Maui County, Hawaiʻi County, and Kauaʻi County

Please Read Carefully

The Small Claims Online Dispute Resolution Pilot Project will end on June 30, 2025 at 11:59 pm HST.
For information about your case filed through TurboCourt, please review the PDF:
Small Claims ODR Pilot Project to end on June 30, 2025.


If you have any questions about filing Small Claims cases, call the following numbers:

Oʻahu

  • District Court Service Center: 808-538-5629

Maui County

  • Second Circuit Help Line: 808-244-2998

Hawaiʻi County

  • Hilo: 808-961-7515
  • Kona: 808-322-8703
  • South Kohala: 808-443-2030

Kauaʻi County

  • Fifth Circuit Help Line: 808-482-2303

Small Claims Brochure

The brochure, Your Guide to Small Claims Court (Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is free), provides answers to common questions.

Your Guide to Small Claims Court Brochures:

Small Claims forms are available at Honolulu District Court or via this website.

The Small Claims Court is the division of District Court that handles certain disputes between two or more parties. These cases are decided by a judge in an informal manner.

The Small Claims Court hears your case if:

  • The amount disputed doesn’t exceed $5,000. Or, in a counterclaim, no more than $40,000 is requested. Claims up to $40,000 are heard by the Regular Claims Division.
  • You seek a return of a residential security deposit from your landlord.
  • You seek the return of leased or rented personal property, where the property is worth less than $5,000 where the amount claimed owed for that lease or rental is less than $5,000 exclusive of interest and costs.
  • You seek to recover damages or repossess items stolen from your business property. Examples of such items include shopping carts, shopping baskets or other similar devices.

Online resources:

At the courthouse:

Service Centers and Access to Justice Rooms locations, hours, and telephone numbers

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