Hawaii
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Hawaii's open record laws are governed by the Uniform Information Practices Act, or UIPA. The act was created on the basis that residents hold the decision making power, with government in place to aid in the process. Public scrutiny and active participation in the civic process are only possible if government acts transparently, according to the Hawaii State Legislature.

The UIPA asserts that all government records should be open to the public unless legal provisions allow it to be closed. The statute covers both the public right to access and information and the individual right to for a person to access his own government records.
Purposes and Policies:

Hawaii's governmental purpose, according to the state Legislature, is to conduct business as openly as possible while also protecting the privacy of its residents. The UIPA is intended to provide guidelines to follow to maintain this goal. The Legislature dictates that the UIPA be applied on the basis of the following five principles: the promotion of disclosure, providing accurate, relevant and complete records in a timely manner, to enhance the accountability of government, to make government accountable for information provided to and collected from individuals, and to allow access of records unless explicitly unwarranted or an invasion of privacy.
What is Covered?

The UIPA broadly outlines that "all government records" of the executive, judicial and legislative branches of government, excluding non-administrative agencies are eligible for public access. "Any person" can make a request for these documents.

Some examples of records that must always be disclosed are: agency policies and rules, government purchase information, land ownership and tax information, public meeting minutes, building permits, public service payroll information and court orders.
Court Records

Any person can search records of Hawaii's court systems for relevant information pertaining to both civil and criminal cases. Some information may be withheld due to privacy issues.
Business Licences

Any person can search records for licenses to operate business within the state of Hawaii. Information such as the type of business is available, in addition to other relevant information, such as complaints filed and the outcome of the complaints.
Recorded Documents

Items such as marriage and divorce records, deeds, mortgage information and powers of attorney are matters of public record, that can be searched by any person.

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