Opinion Letter Summary

Opinion Letter No. 11-01
August 4, 2011
Mailing Addresses and Social Security Numbers of Real Property Owners

Requester asked OIP whether the Honolulu Real Property Assessment Division properly withheld all mailing addresses and social security numbers when responding to Requester’s request for the 2011 Oahu Assessment Notices under part II of the UIPA.

OIP found that the mailing address of record for a property owner is “real property tax information” and as such is subject to mandatory disclosure under the UIPA. HRS § 92F-12(a)(5).

OIP also found that a property owner’s social security number is not “real property tax information” subject to mandatory disclosure, and falls within the UIPA’s exception for information whose disclosure would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy. HRS § 92F-12(a)(5) and -13(1). Disclosure of only the last four digits of a property owner’s social security number would result in a likelihood of actual identification of the full social security number, so the Division properly denied access to the last four digits of property owners’ social security numbers.

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