A building permit in Hawaii County is issued by the Building Division of the Department of Public Works, the sole building authority for the Big Island, which administers the county's adopted code and runs plan review and inspections. The statewide contractor licence and the separate electrical and plumbing permits run alongside, and the parcel's Lava Flow Hazard Zone is worth checking early.
The lava zone is worth checking early on a Big Island project. The United States Geological Survey Lava Flow Hazard Zones rate volcanic risk from Zone 1, the most hazardous, to Zone 9, and the highest zones can make property harder to insure or finance. Whether plans must be stamped by a Hawaii-licensed architect or structural engineer depends on the structure and scope, so confirm it with the Building Division. Applications are filed online through EPIC.
This guide covers the County of Hawaii, which spans the entire Big Island, from Hilo to Kona. There is no separate city or town building department on the island; the Department of Public Works Building Division is the authority for the whole county.
Check the lava zone early. A parcel’s Lava Flow Hazard Zone does not change who issues the permit, but it can affect insurance and financing, so establish it before the design is settled.
What requires a building permit in Hawaii County?
Hawaii regulates construction through four county building departments over a single statewide baseline. The State Building Code Council sets the Hawaii State Building Code — the International Building and Residential Codes with Hawaii amendments, including the state's own wind-design provisions — and each of the four counties adopts and amends its own edition from that baseline, so every part of the state is covered by an enforced code. There are no sub-county building departments: the county is the building authority for the whole island. In Hawaii County, a permit means the Department of Public Works Building Division, with offices in Hilo and Kona and online filing through EPIC.
Short on time to read all of this?
Get a free quote →Two things run statewide beneath the county permit. Contractor licensing is a state matter: the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, through its Contractors License Board, issues every contractor licence in Hawaii, and no county issues its own — but a state licence only lets a contractor contract for the work, not begin it, so the county permit is a separate and equally mandatory step. And Hawaii law requires solar water heating in a new single-family home unless an exemption is approved, a request that must be filed with the permit application rather than discovered at inspection.
Typically permit required
- A County of Hawaii building permit from the Department of Public Works Building Division for construction, additions and most alterations
- Plans stamped by a Hawaii-licensed architect or structural engineer where the structure or scope requires them
- A county building permit from the county that covers the island — the only building authority, since there is no sub-county department
- A State of Hawaii contractor licence from the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs Contractors License Board, valid statewide but not a substitute for the county permit
- Separate electrical and plumbing permits, each reviewed and inspected independently of the building permit
- Solar water heating in a new single-family dwelling, or an approved exemption filed with the permit application
Often exempt
- Minor work the county code exempts from a permit, where zoning still applies
- A separate county contractor licence — Hawaii licenses contractors only at the state level, so the state licence carries across all four counties
- Minor work the county's adopted code places below the permit threshold, where zoning still applies
How the four counties divide the state
Hawaii has only four county building authorities, each covering entire islands. The City and County of Honolulu covers all of Oahu through its Department of Planning and Permitting; Hawaii County covers the Big Island, Maui County covers Maui, Molokai and Lanai, and Kauai County covers Kauai and Niihau, each through its Department of Public Works. Each county adopts its own edition of the state code with local amendments that reflect its geography and hazards, sets its own fees and timelines, and runs its own plan review and inspections. In Hawaii County, Hawaii County administers the county's adopted code across the whole Big Island through the Building Division of its Department of Public Works, with offices in Hilo and Kona. The United States Geological Survey Lava Flow Hazard Zones run from Zone 1, the most hazardous, to Zone 9, the least, and building in the highest zones can affect insurability. Building, electrical and plumbing permits are filed through the county's EPIC online system.
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →Who handles permitting in Hawaii County?
The Big Island is served by the County of Hawaii Department of Public Works Building Division, with offices in Hilo and Kona, which issues building permits and the separate trade permits, administers the county's adopted code, and runs plan review and inspections for the whole island.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Authority | County of Hawaii Department of Public Works Building Division |
| Office | Aupuni Center, 101 Pauahi Street, Suite 7, Hilo, HI 96720; Kona office at 74-5044 Ane Keohokalole Highway, Bldg E1, Kailua-Kona, HI 96740 (808-323-4720); both Monday to Friday 7:45am to 4:30pm |
| Phone | (808) 961-8331 |
| cohbuild@hawaiicounty.gov | |
| Filing | The county's EPIC online permit system |
Permit types
Residential permits
Houses, additions, alterations and decks on the Big Island are permitted through the Building Division under the county's adopted code. Stamped plans are needed where the structure or scope requires them; the contractor holds the state licence; the electrical and plumbing permits are pulled separately; and a new single-family home carries the solar water-heater requirement.
How Hawaii contractor and trade credentials work
Contractor licensing in Hawaii is centralised at the state level. The Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs Contractors License Board issues and regulates every licence under the state contractor law — general engineering, general building and specialty classes — and a licence is valid across all four counties; no county issues its own. But the state licence and the county permit are independent: the licence authorises a contractor to contract for the work, and the county permit authorises the work to begin, and both are mandatory. Electrical and plumbing trades are state-licensed and permitted separately at the county. In Hawaii County, the county permit is confirmed before construction starts.
Rather talk it over?
Call 1-855-478-4290 →Commercial permits
Commercial and multi-family projects are reviewed under the county's adopted code, with Hawaii's wind design throughout. The electrical and plumbing permits are pulled and inspected separately, and EPIC handles the online submittal.
Separate trade permits and utility interconnection
In Hawaii the general building permit does not cover the trades. Electrical and plumbing work each require a separate county permit, reviewed and inspected independently, and performed by state-licensed trades. A solar or renewable-energy installation also runs through utility interconnection — Hawaiian Electric on most islands, or the Kauai Island Utility Cooperative on Kauai — alongside the county permit. In Hawaii County the electrical and plumbing permits are pulled separately through the Department of Public Works.
Hawaii County permit costs and fees
Hawaii County scales its building permit to the project, with the separate electrical and plumbing permits budgeted apart. Design fees for stamped plans, where the project needs them, belong in the budget too.
| Item | Fee or rule |
|---|---|
| Building permit | Scaled to the project under the county's fee schedule, filed through EPIC |
| Design professional | Plans stamped by a Hawaii-licensed architect or structural engineer where the project requires them — an added design cost |
| Trade permits | Separate electrical and plumbing permits, budgeted apart |
| Contractor licence | A State of Hawaii licence from the Contractors License Board, required in every county |
Check insurance early in the high zones. A parcel in the highest Lava Flow Hazard Zones can be harder to insure or finance, which belongs in the plan alongside the permit fees.
Rather not deal with the Hawaii County building department?
Get a free quote →Trade permits and who may pull them
Trade work in Hawaii is licensed by the state and permitted separately at the county. Electrical and plumbing permits are each pulled, reviewed and inspected on their own, so a project budgets for them apart from the building permit.
Permit required
- General contracting — under a State of Hawaii general contractor licence, with a county building permit before work begins
- Electrical — under a state electrical licence and a separate county electrical permit
- Plumbing — under a state plumbing licence and a separate county plumbing permit
Typically exempt
- A separate county contractor licence — the state licence carries across all four counties
- Minor work the county's adopted code places below the permit threshold
How to apply for a Hawaii County building permit
One of four: Honolulu for Oahu, Hawaii County for the Big Island, Maui County for Maui, Molokai and Lanai, or Kauai County for Kauai.
Each county adopts its own edition of the state code with local amendments; the edition and amendments govern plan review.
From the Contractors License Board; valid statewide, but not a substitute for the county permit.
Structural and wind-design calculations, foundation design, site plan, drainage, and any coastal, flood or shoreline triggers.
The building permit through the county, plus separate electrical and plumbing permits, and the solar water-heater requirement or its exemption.
The building and the separate trade inspections against the permit number, then the certificate of occupancy.
Want this handled start to finish?
Get a free quote →Review, corrections and what actually causes delay
The Big Island delays that recur are completeness delays: an EPIC submittal missing documents, or plans that needed a licensed design professional’s stamp and arrived without one. Confirming the stamp requirement early and filing a complete EPIC package keep the review on track.
Inspections in Hawaii County
County inspections follow the adopted edition — foundation, framing, the separate trade inspections, and final — requested from the county building department against the permit number, with Hawaii's wind-design provisions and, in coastal and flood zones, elevation and flood-opening requirements carrying real weight. The electrical and plumbing inspections are called separately from the building inspections. A certificate of occupancy closes the file. On the Big Island the building inspections run through the Department of Public Works against the permit number, and the electrical and plumbing inspections are called separately from the building inspections.
Hawaii County permit search and official resources
- County of Hawaii permits (EPIC) — the EPIC online permit system, building permits and the adopted code
- County of Hawaii — the Department of Public Works Building Division and inspection scheduling
- Hawaii Contractors License Board (DCCA) — the statewide general, engineering and specialty contractor licence required in every county
- Hawaii State Building Code Council — the statewide baseline building code the counties adopt and amend
Frequently asked questions
What are the Lava Flow Hazard Zones?
A United States Geological Survey rating of volcanic risk on the Big Island, from Zone 1 (most hazardous) to Zone 9 (least). It can affect insurance and financing, so check it early.
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →When do I need stamped plans?
When the structure or scope requires them under the county’s rules — for example, a residential PV system needs either drawings stamped by a Hawaii-licensed architect or structural engineer or the county’s Residential PV Structural Worksheet. The Building Division’s published permit guidance does not tie the stamp to the lava zone; confirm your project with the division.
How do I file a permit in Hawaii County?
Through the county’s EPIC online permit system: register for an EPIC account, then apply and upload documents there. The Building Division’s Hilo and Kona offices are open Monday to Friday 7:45am to 4:30pm.
Which building code does the county use?
The county's adopted edition of the Hawaii State Building Code, with Big Island amendments. Confirm the current edition and amendments with the Building Division.
Do I need a state contractor's licence?
Yes. A State of Hawaii licence from the Contractors License Board is required in every county. It authorises a contractor to contract for the work, but the county building permit is a separate and mandatory step.
Are electrical and plumbing part of the building permit?
No. Electrical and plumbing work each require a separate county permit, reviewed and inspected independently of the building permit.
Simplify Hawaii County permitting with Alliance Permitting
21+ years of working real jurisdictions is what tells you that on the Big Island the lava zone and a complete package both matter early. Our team checks the zone, confirms whether stamped plans are needed, files a complete EPIC package, holds the state contractor licence, pulls the separate trade permits, and tracks the submittal to a certificate — corrections included.
Ready to break ground in Hawaii County sooner?
Send us the scope and the parcel. We confirm the review path with the County of Hawaii Department of Public Works Building Division, assemble the submittal, file it, and track it through issuance — corrections included.
More Hawaii permitting guides
More Hawaii permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Hawaii County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.