> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.licensesearcher.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Hawaii county queries

> Query Hawaii licenses by issuing county and understand which counties are covered.

Hawaii liquor licenses are issued by county. Two counties can issue the same license number, so include the issuing county on every Hawaii lookup or search request.

<Warning>
  Hawaii coverage is **partial**. **Honolulu and Maui are supported. Hawaii County (Big Island) and Kauai are not supported.** A listing for `HI` in the supported-states API does not mean all Hawaii counties are covered.
</Warning>

## County coverage

| Issuing county              | `county` value | Coverage                                      |
| --------------------------- | -------------- | --------------------------------------------- |
| City and County of Honolulu | `honolulu`     | Supported                                     |
| Maui County                 | `maui`         | Supported                                     |
| Hawaii County (Big Island)  | `hawaii`       | **Not supported — no license data available** |
| Kauai County                | `kauai`        | **Not supported — no license data available** |

Use the **issuing county**, rather than the business's mailing city or island name. For Big Island, the recognized county value is `hawaii`, not `big island`.

The API recognizes all four county names for validation. Recognition does not imply data coverage: queries for Big Island or Kauai currently return no matching data. Do not interpret those results as confirmation that a business is unlicensed.

## Required query parameter

Pass exactly one `county` value when the state is `hi`. County names are case-insensitive, and surrounding whitespace is ignored. Numeric county IDs and FIPS codes are not supported.

Requests without a county, with a blank or unrecognized county, or with repeated `county` parameters return `400 validation_error`. Other states do not require this parameter; `county` only scopes Hawaii requests.

Your API key must still have access to Hawaii. A supported county does not bypass state access restrictions.

## Retrieve a license

Include the county alongside the state and exact license number. Preserve leading zeros.

```bash theme={null}
curl "https://api.licensesearcher.com/v2/license/hi/441?county=maui" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"
```

The returned object and every entry in its `types` array belong to the requested county. If the number has no record in that county, the API returns `404 license_not_found`. It does not search another county as a fallback.

## Search by name or address

Provide `state`, `county`, and exactly one of `name` or `address`.

<CodeGroup>
  ```bash Name search theme={null}
  curl "https://api.licensesearcher.com/v2/search?state=hi&county=maui&name=market" \
    -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"
  ```

  ```bash Address search theme={null}
  curl "https://api.licensesearcher.com/v2/search?state=hi&county=honolulu&address=123" \
    -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"
  ```
</CodeGroup>

Each search returns up to 10 license objects within that county. A search with no matching records returns `200` with `{"data":[]}`.

To search all currently supported Hawaii counties, issue separate requests for `honolulu` and `maui`. There is no statewide Hawaii search or `county=all` option. Keep each result's county when combining the responses.

## Update existing callers

If your integration already sends Hawaii requests, add the issuing county before making the request:

| Existing request                  | Updated request                               |
| --------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------- |
| `/v2/license/hi/441`              | `/v2/license/hi/441?county=maui`              |
| `/v2/search?state=hi&name=market` | `/v2/search?state=hi&county=maui&name=market` |

Do not infer the county from the license number alone. Ask for the issuing county or carry it forward from a previous search result.

Include county in your stored identity, cache keys, and deduplication logic for Hawaii. Use `(state, address.county, license)` for a license object, and include `types[].type` when identifying an individual type entry. For example, `hi / MAUI / 441` and `hi / HONOLULU / 441` are different identities.

The response structure is unchanged. The returned county is in `address.county`; the government-issued license number remains in `license`. Hawaii type identifiers include their county, such as `MAUI:PERMANENT`, and are separate from the license number.

## Validation error example

```json theme={null}
{
  "error": {
    "type": "validation_error",
    "message": "The county query parameter is required for Hawaii (HI)."
  }
}
```

Add one valid `county` parameter and retry. See [Retrieve a License](/liquor-licenses/retrieve-a-license), [Search](/liquor-licenses/search), and [Errors](/errors) for the full endpoint behavior.