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HRS §583A-112

Cooperation between courts; preservation of records

This section lets Hawaii courts ask courts in other states for help in child-custody cases, like holding hearings or getting evidence. It also lets Hawaii courts help other states the same way. Courts must keep all records in a child-custody case until the child turns 18, and share them when asked.

courts

The statute, as written — Cooperation between courts; preservation of records

(a) A court of this State may request the appropriate court of another state to: (1) Hold an evidentiary hearing; (2) Order a person to produce or give evidence pursuant to procedures of that state; (3) Order that an evaluation be made with respect to the custody of a child involved in a pending proceeding; (4) Forward to the court of this State a certified copy of the transcript of the record of the hearing, the evidence otherwise presented, and any evaluation prepared in compliance with the request; and (5) Order a party to a child-custody proceeding or any person having physical custody of the child to appear in the proceeding with or without the child. (b) Upon request of a court of another state, a court of this State may hold a hearing or enter an order described in subsection (a). (c) Travel and other necessary and reasonable expenses incurred under subsections (a) and (b) may be assessed against the parties according to the law of this State. (d) A court of this State shall preserve the pleadings, orders, decrees, records of hearings, evaluations, and other pertinent records with respect to a child-custody proceeding until the child attains eighteen years of age. Upon appropriate request by a court or law enforcement official of another state, the court shall forward a certified copy of those records.
Read the official text at capitol.hawaii.gov ↗as published Jan 6, 2026our copy taken Aug 20, 2026

LawTrove is not legal advice. The summary above is a computer-generated restatement — the authoritative text is the official version linked above.