How building permits work in Hawaii
These rules apply across Hawaii. Each local guide above covers what is specific to that city or county: its building department and contacts, permit types, fees and inspections.
State codes, county permits
Hawaii’s State Building Code Council sets the state building codes. The codes it lists as adopted are the 2018 International Building, Residential, Existing Building and Energy Conservation Codes, the 2018 Uniform Plumbing Code, the 2020 National Electrical Code, the State Elevator Code and the State Fire Code (2024 NFPA 1, adopted by the State Fire Council). Each county must adopt and amend these codes into its own building code, and the county enforces them. The usual two-year deadline for county adoption is suspended for now by the Governor’s housing emergency proclamation, and counties may update their own codes, so the counties are on different editions. Check the county’s current codes before you file.
Who issues permits
Hawaii has no city or town governments. Building permits come from the four counties: the City and County of Honolulu (Oahu), Hawaii County (the island of Hawaii), Maui County (Maui, Molokai and Lanai) and Kauai County. Use the county, not the community named in the address, to find the right office. Kalawao County, on the Kalaupapa peninsula of Molokai, is run by the state Department of Health and has no county building department.
Contractor licensing
Contractors are licensed by the state Contractors License Board, part of the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs. Licences are general engineering (A), general building (B) or specialty (C), and a company holds its licence through a responsible managing employee. Before a county issues a building permit, state law requires the applicant to file a statement that the applicant and every specialty contractor are licensed, giving the licence numbers; an owner-builder states the basis of the exemption instead.