Hawaii Sex Offender Registry
The Hawaii sex offender registry is a public database that anyone can search online at no cost. It is managed by the Hawaii Criminal Justice Data Center and covers all five counties in the state. You can look up registered sex offenders in Hawaii by name, zip code, street address, or proximity to any location. The registry shows photos, current addresses, conviction details, and compliance status for each listed offender. This guide covers how to search for sex offenders in Hawaii, who is required to register, and how the state system works.
Hawaii Sex Offender Registry Overview
Search Hawaii Sex Offenders Online
The official tool for looking up sex offenders in Hawaii is the public portal at sexoffenders.ehawaii.gov. This registry is run by the Hawaii Criminal Justice Data Center. It is free to use. You do not need an account or a reason to search. The database is updated every night with the latest registration data from all five counties.
Search options include first name, last name, street name, city, and zip code. The system has a radius search that finds all registered offenders within a set distance from any address. When you use radius search, the zip code field is ignored so results stay location-specific. You can also filter results by offender type: Sex Offender, Covered Offender, or Offender Against Minors. Each result page shows a photo, physical description including scars and tattoos, current address, and the conviction that requires registration.
The system uses phonetic name matching. A search returns results that sound like the name entered, not just exact spelling matches. This is useful when you know how a name sounds but are not sure how it is spelled. The registry also supports email alerts. You can sign up to be notified when offender registration information changes in a specific area or zip code.
To search offenders across state lines, use the National Sex Offender Public Website. This federal site links all 50 state registries and lets you run searches that cover multiple states at once.
The HCJDC sex offender information page lists all current registration locations and procedures, including the updated August 2025 changes for Oahu residents.
The HCJDC and How the Registry Operates
The Hawaii Criminal Justice Data Center runs the state sex offender registry under the Department of the Attorney General. The HCJDC also manages the statewide criminal history record system, the Automated Fingerprint Identification System, and the Adult Criminal Conviction Information website known as eCrim. For sex offender records, HCJDC coordinates with all county police departments to keep information current and accurate.
The main office is at the Kekuanaoa Building, 465 S. King Street, Room 102, Honolulu, HI 96813. Hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The office closes for lunch from noon to 1:00 p.m. and on all state holidays. You can call the sex offender registration unit at (808) 587-3350. For general inquiries the number is (808) 587-3100. Criminal history record checks go through (808) 587-3279.
Hawaii has used Tyler Hawaii as its technology partner for the registry since 2008. The current platform was built to comply with the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act and updated Hawaii state requirements. The system supports map-based searches, email notification, and phonetic name matching. A free mobile app for the registry is available on both Google Play and the iOS App Store. All work on the platform was completed at no cost to Hawaii taxpayers.
The Hawaii Criminal Justice Data Center serves as the central hub for sex offender registration across all counties, coordinating with local police departments to keep the registry accurate.
Public access terminals are set up at the HCJDC office and at the main county police departments: Honolulu, Maui, Kauai, Hilo, Kona, and Lanai. Terminal hours run Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., except on state holidays. These terminals let anyone search the full registry in person without a computer or account.
Who Must Register as a Sex Offender in Hawaii
Hawaii uses the term "covered offender" to describe anyone required to register. This includes two main groups. The first is a "sex offender," meaning a person convicted of a qualifying sexual offense or someone charged and found unfit to proceed and released into the community. The second is an "offender against minors," which covers people convicted of certain kidnapping or unlawful imprisonment offenses involving minors even when no sexual offense was formally charged. Both groups face the same registration requirements.
Under Chapter 846E of the Hawaii Revised Statutes, sexual offenses that require registration include Sexual Assault in the First, Second, Third, or certain Fourth Degree; Continuous Sexual Assault of a Minor under 14 years old; Incest; Sexual Assault of an Animal; Commercial Sexual Exploitation; Promoting Prostitution in the First or Second Degree; kidnapping with intent to commit a sexual offense; production, distribution, or possession of child pornography; electronic enticement of a child; solicitation of a minor to practice prostitution; and comparable out-of-state, federal, or military convictions. Attempts, conspiracies, and solicitations to commit any of these offenses also trigger registration.
Hawaii requires lifetime registration by default. An offender may petition the court to end the requirement after 10, 25, or 40 years depending on the offense tier, as outlined in Section 846E-10 of the HRS. The court reviews each petition individually. The one automatic exclusion from public listing involves a person with a single misdemeanor covered offense that was not committed against a minor. Those individuals still register but do not appear on the public website.
Hawaii Revised Statutes Chapter 846E establishes the legal framework for sex offender registration, covering who must register, what information must be provided, and how long registration lasts.
Sex Offender Registration Requirements Under HRS 846E
A covered offender must register in person with the chief of police within three working days. This three-day window applies after arriving in the state, arriving in a new county, being released from incarceration, completing probation or parole, or being convicted without serving time. The same three-day rule applies any time the offender changes their address, employment, vehicle, or other registered information.
The information required at registration is detailed. It includes actual residential address or a description of where the offender stays, all phone numbers, all email addresses, instant message names, internet identifiers, cell phone numbers, professional licenses held, names and addresses of all current employers and volunteer locations, names and addresses of all educational institutions the offender is affiliated with, and the year, make, model, color, and plate of every vehicle owned or operated. The offender must also provide a current photo, physical description with any scars or tattoos, fingerprints, palm prints, a DNA sample, a copy of the conviction judgment, and a valid ID. For offenders without a fixed work location, a description of usual travel routes or general work areas is required under Section 846E-2.
Verification happens on two schedules. Quarterly verification forms are mailed during the first week of January, April, July, and October. The offender must sign and return the form within ten days. Annual in-person verification is required within 30 days of the offender's birthday each year. Offenders with no fixed address must report in person monthly. These requirements apply regardless of when the conviction occurred. Chapter 846E makes no exception based on the date of the offense.
Section 846E-2 of the Hawaii Revised Statutes specifies the exact data each registered sex offender must provide, from vehicles and electronic identifiers to employment and educational affiliations.
Note: Chapter 846E does not restrict where a covered offender may live or work. Offenders under active probation or parole supervision may face location restrictions through their individual supervision terms, but those rules come from the supervising agency, not the registration statute itself.
Non-Compliance and Penalties for Sex Offenders
Failing to meet sex offender registration requirements is a Class C felony in Hawaii. Under Section 846E-9, the penalty is up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000. This applies to missing registration deadlines, failing to return a quarterly verification form, or not appearing for annual in-person verification. The law treats all failures equally regardless of which requirement was missed.
The registry tracks offender status visibly. You can search for offenders by status type including compliant, non-compliant, incarcerated, or absconded. At any given time, nearly 500 offenders in Hawaii are listed as non-compliant with mail or in-person verification. An additional roughly 200 are listed as absconded because they never registered in the first place. These individuals show up in a dedicated absconded search on the main registry page.
To report problems with registry information, contact the Sex Offender Registration Unit at 465 S. King Street, Room 101, Honolulu, HI 96813 or call (808) 587-3350. Before any covered offender is released from state custody, correctional staff must explain the duty to register, collect all required data, take fingerprints and a photo, and obtain a signed acknowledgment. That information goes to the Attorney General within three working days of release. The Hawaii Department of Public Safety coordinates with HCJDC on this process for all state correctional facilities.
The Hawaii Department of Public Safety works with HCJDC to ensure all covered offenders leaving state correctional facilities are registered before release.
Court Records for Sex Offense Cases in Hawaii
Criminal court records related to sex offenses are available through the Hawaii State Judiciary's eCourt Kokua system. This public portal provides access to criminal cases, civil cases, and appellate matters from all circuits. You can search by name, case ID, citation number, or attorney. No account is required for basic searches. The system is available Monday through Saturday from 4:00 a.m. to midnight Hawaii Standard Time, and Sundays from noon to midnight.
The four circuits map to specific islands. The First Circuit handles Oahu. The Second Circuit covers Maui County. The Third Circuit covers Hawaii County on the Big Island. The Fifth Circuit handles Kauai. Case records show charge information, hearing dates, plea entries, case status, and sentencing outcomes. Sex offense cases include registration requirements in the judgment documents when applicable.
The Hawaii State Judiciary eCourt Kokua system gives free public access to criminal court records including sex offense case filings and dispositions from all circuits statewide.
Individual documents through eCourt Kokua cost $3.00 per document or ten cents per page, whichever is greater. Quarterly and annual subscriptions are available for frequent users.
Support Resources and Campus Safety in Hawaii
The Campus Sex Crimes Prevention Act requires registered sex offenders to notify any college or university in Hawaii where they enroll or work. Chapter 846E includes college and university affiliation as a required registration data field. Institutions like Hawaii Pacific University must make this information available to their campus communities under federal law. The HPU student handbook explains how to access this information and what the Hawaii registry includes.
The Sex Abuse Treatment Center provides support services and community resources related to the registry. SATC is located at Kapi'olani Medical Center for Women and Children, 55 Merchant Street, 22nd Floor, Honolulu, HI 96813. They are a state-funded affiliate of Hawaii Pacific Health and serve survivors across all islands. Their website also explains how the public registry works and how to use it.
The Hawaii Attorney General's office oversees crime prevention programs and administers the sex offender registration system statewide. The AG prosecutes sex offense cases, investigates violations of registration requirements, and coordinates with county law enforcement. The department also runs the Hawaii Office of Information Practices, which handles public records access questions under the Uniform Information Practices Act.
The Sex Abuse Treatment Center in Honolulu offers community education about the Hawaii sex offender registry and provides support services for survivors across the state.
How the Hawaii Sex Offender Search Tool Works
Hawaii partnered with Tyler Hawaii in 2008 to build the current registry platform. The system was designed to meet the requirements of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act and updated Hawaii law. It supports geographic and radius searches, email alerts, phonetic name matching, and mobile access. Offender profiles include photos of identifying marks like scars and tattoos in addition to standard biographical data. A separate criminal history search can be launched directly from any offender detail page.
The Tyler Hawaii support documentation explains how covered offenders must register within three working days of moving to Hawaii or a new county. It also covers registration locations for each island, what to expect during in-person registration, and how the quarterly and annual verification system works. Bulk sex offender registration data is available for purchase by calling (808) 695-4622 and submitting a Monthly Subscriber Account Agreement to Tyler Hawaii.
The Tyler Hawaii sex offender search project page describes how the state's public registry was built and updated to comply with both state and federal requirements.
The Tyler Hawaii support guide covers registration timelines, verification requirements, and how to find offenders on the public registry by location.
Additional Hawaii Sex Offender Registry Resources
The Hawaii Attorney General's office is the chief law enforcement agency of the state and has direct responsibility for administering the sex offender registration system. The AG's office employs roughly 180 attorneys and more than 500 support staff. It investigates violations of registration requirements and initiates criminal prosecutions for non-compliance. The AG also commissions notaries public, administers crime prevention programs, and supports local law enforcement with resources and data systems.
For campus-related sex offender information, Hawaii Pacific University maintains a public resource explaining what information is available through the registry and how to access it. The public registry includes offender names, aliases, year of birth, physical descriptions, photos, residential and temporary addresses, vehicle information, employment locations, school affiliations, and the specific conviction that requires registration. This level of detail is consistent across all five counties in Hawaii.
The Hawaii Attorney General's office is responsible for administering the sex offender registration system and prosecuting violations of Chapter 846E registration requirements.
The Hawaii Pacific University student handbook explains campus sex offender notification requirements and how to access the Hawaii registry for campus safety purposes.
Browse Hawaii Sex Offenders by County
Each county in Hawaii has its own registration location and law enforcement agency. Select a county below to find local registration offices, search resources, and area-specific offender information.
Sex Offenders in Major Hawaii Cities
Hawaii's largest communities each have their own registration details and local offender data. Select a city to find search tools and resources for that specific area.