Hawaii's records rules are concrete enough to quote back at a stonewalling manager. In a planned community, § 421J-7 sorts records into tiers. The association documents, the most current financial statement, and the latest board minutes must be available for examination at no cost, on twenty-four-hour loan or during reasonable hours. Approved board minutes for the current and prior year must be provided on request (you pay duplication and postage). Financial statements, general ledgers, accounts receivable and payable ledgers, check ledgers, insurance policies, contracts, invoices, and documents about delinquencies of ninety days or more must be open for examination at reasonable hours at a board-designated location. Election materials — proxies, ballots, tally sheets, check-in lists — are viewable for thirty days after any association meeting, after which proxies and ballots may be destroyed.
For anything else, § 421J-7(e) gives you a written-request path with a real deadline: the board must give written authorization, or a written refusal with an explanation, within sixty calendar days. The categories it can withhold are enumerated — personnel records, an individual's medical records, records of ongoing negotiations, attorney-client privileged communications, complaints against an individual member, and records whose release would violate law. A refusal that names no category, or blows the sixty-day deadline, is out of step with the statute. Note one quirk: the board may require an affidavit that your request is made in good faith for the protection of the association or its members — sign it and move on; it is not a lawful basis to refuse a compliant request.
Condo owners get a 30-day delivery rule
Condominium associations answer to the stricter § 514B-154.5: on a unit owner's written request, the association must make available an itemized list of documents — declaration, bylaws, house rules, financial statements, general ledgers, accounts receivable and payable ledgers, check ledgers, insurance policies, contracts, invoices, and the proxies, tally sheets, ballots, and election certificates — no later than thirty days after the request, electronically if you ask for that in writing. Copy fees are capped: administrative and duplicating costs may not exceed $1 per page for standard pages. Pair records with the notice rules around money: § 421J-9 requires thirty days' written notice before any increase in regular assessments, and § 421J-8 obligates the association to keep a current membership list and give owners a way to reach fellow members with proxies and association information.
The authority
The statutes behind this
Cited by name as authority, for your own reading. Informational only, not legal advice.
Haw. Rev. Stat. § 421J-7
Planned-community records tiers: core documents free on 24-hour loan or reasonable hours; ledgers, contracts, and insurance open for examination; election materials viewable 30 days; other requests answered in writing within 60 days against enumerated withholding categories.
Haw. Rev. Stat. § 514B-154.5
Condo associations must provide an enumerated list of documents within 30 days of a written request, electronically on written request, with copies capped at $1 per page for standard pages.
Haw. Rev. Stat. § 421J-9
The board must notify members in writing of any increase in regular assessments at least 30 days before the increase.
Haw. Rev. Stat. § 421J-8
The association must keep a good-faith current membership list and give owners a reasonable procedure to solicit votes or proxies and share association information with other owners.
Step by step
How to make a records request in Hawaii
A statute-anchored records request that triggers Hawaii's 30-day (condo) or 60-day (planned community) response obligations.
- 01
Put it in writing and date it
Email or mail a dated written request to the board or managing agent, and keep proof of delivery. The condo 30-day clock and the planned-community 60-day response duty both run from a written request.
- 02
List the documents by name
Name what you want: declaration and amendments, bylaws, house rules, current financial statement, general ledger, accounts receivable and payable ledgers, check ledger, insurance policies, contracts, invoices, and recent board minutes.
- 03
Cite the section
Reference § 514B-154.5 (condo) or § 421J-7 (planned community) so it's clear you know the deadline, the fee caps, and the limited withholding categories.
- 04
Handle the affidavit and fees without friction
If the board requests the good-faith affidavit § 421J-7 allows, provide it. Pay reasonable duplication costs — in a condo, no more than $1 per standard page — but don't accept fees as a wall against examination itself, which is free for core documents.
- 05
Escalate a blown deadline
If the deadline passes with no documents and no written refusal naming a statutory category, send a follow-up citing the section and date received, then demand mediation under § 421J-13 or § 514B-161 — records disputes are exactly the governance disputes those sections cover.
Straight answers
Common questions
What records am I entitled to see in a Hawaii planned community?
At minimum: the association documents, the most current financial statement, and recent board minutes at no cost; plus ledgers, insurance policies, contracts, invoices, and 90-day delinquency documents for examination at reasonable hours; plus election materials for 30 days after a meeting. Anything else goes through a written request the board must answer within 60 days.
How fast must a condo association hand over documents?
No later than 30 days after a written request, under § 514B-154.5 — electronically if you request that in writing — with copy costs capped at $1 per standard page.
Can the board demand to know why I want the records?
For certain financial and election records, § 421J-7 lets the board require an affidavit that the request is in good faith for the protection of the association or its members. It's a formality, not a veto — provide it and the examination right stands.
What can they lawfully withhold?
The enumerated categories: personnel records, individual medical records, ongoing-negotiation records, attorney-client privileged communications, complaints against an individual member, and records whose release would violate law. A refusal has to be written, explained, and within 60 days — silence is not a lawful response.