There is no county building permit in Kalawao County. The county has no building department; the State Department of Health administers it, and the Kalaupapa peninsula is governed as a National Historical Park. Anyone with a genuine reason to build or rehabilitate a structure there works through the National Park Service and the State, under historic-preservation review.
This is a documented finding, not an oversight. Kalawao holds only the narrow powers state law grants it, none of which include building regulation, so there is no county code, counter or permit. The peninsula's structures are protected as a National Historic Landmark District, and work on them is a federal and state undertaking. Even so, a State of Hawaii contractor licence still applies to any contractor engaged, because licensing is statewide.
This guide covers the County of Kalawao — the Kalaupapa peninsula on Molokai — which is administered by the State Department of Health and has no county building department. The rest of the island of Molokai lies in Maui County.
There is no permit counter here. Kalawao County has no building department and no permit process. Construction on the Kalaupapa peninsula is governed by the National Park Service and the State of Hawaii under historic-preservation review — this guide documents that, rather than substituting an office that does not regulate the work.
What requires a building permit in Kalawao 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 Kalawao County, a permit means that there is no county building department here at all — the peninsula is a National Historical Park administered by the State Department of Health, and construction is governed by the National Park Service and the State rather than a county permit.
Two statewide rules still exist in the background, even though no county permit does here. Contractor licensing is a state matter: the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs Contractors License Board issues every contractor licence in Hawaii, and any contractor engaged for work on the peninsula still needs one. But there is no county building permit in Kalawao County for that work to attach to — the governing authority is the National Park Service and the State.
Typically permit required
- No county building permit — Kalawao County has no building department; the State Department of Health administers it on matters of health only
- For any construction or rehabilitation, the National Park Service and State of Hawaii framework, under National Historic Landmark District preservation review
- A State of Hawaii contractor licence from the Contractors License Board for any contractor engaged in such work
Often exempt
- A county building permit, plan review or inspection — none exists in Kalawao County
- A separate county trade permit — there is no county trade-permit counter here
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 Kalawao County, Kalawao County was constituted as a county by itself under state law, but stripped of ordinary county powers and placed under the jurisdiction of the State Department of Health, whose director serves as its mayor. It has no elected government and no building department. The Kalaupapa peninsula — for a century the settlement where people were isolated with Hansen's disease, and now home to a small number of residents who chose to remain — is a National Historical Park and a National Historic Landmark District, co-managed by the National Park Service and the State of Hawaii. Access is restricted, and construction or rehabilitation of the settlement's structures proceeds as federal and state undertakings under historic-preservation review, not through a county building permit.
Who handles permitting in Kalawao County?
Kalawao County is administered by the State of Hawaii Department of Health, whose director serves as the county's mayor. There is no county building department and no elected county government; the Kalaupapa peninsula is a National Historical Park co-managed by the National Park Service and the State.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Administration | State of Hawaii Department of Health (the Director of Health serves as county mayor) |
| Building department | None — the county has no building department or permit counter |
| Park office | Kalaupapa National Historical Park (NPS), 7 Puahi Street, Kalaupapa, HI 96742 |
| Phone | (808) 567-6802 |
| Access | Restricted — entry requires a permit through the Department of Health |
Permit types
Residential permits
There is no county residential permit process in Kalawao County. The peninsula's homes are part of the historic settlement, and any repair or rehabilitation is handled as a National Park Service or State undertaking under historic-preservation review rather than through a county building permit. There is no private residential construction market on the peninsula.
Why there is no ordinary permit here
Kalawao County holds only the narrow powers state law grants it, and building regulation is not among them. The county is under the jurisdiction of the State Department of Health and governed by the laws relating to the care of the settlement, so there is no county building code, no plan-review counter and no permit to pull. This is the finding, not a gap for another office to fill: the authority that governs construction here is the National Park Service and the State, working together under the park's federal framework.
Commercial permits
There is no county commercial permit process either. The settlement's buildings — a store, churches, care facilities and administrative structures — are managed within the National Historical Park, and any work on them proceeds as a federal or state undertaking under historic-preservation review, not through a county permit.
Utilities and infrastructure work
Infrastructure and utility work on the peninsula — the electrical system, water, the roads and the pier — is carried out by the National Park Service and the State as government undertakings, on a National Historic Landmark District, rather than through county trade permits. There is no county electrical, plumbing or mechanical permit counter in Kalawao County.
Kalawao County permit costs and fees
There are no county building-permit fees in Kalawao County, because there is no county permit. Costs for work on the peninsula are borne within the National Park Service and State framework that manages the settlement.
| Item | Fee or rule |
|---|---|
| County building permit | None — there is no county building department or permit |
| Governing framework | National Park Service and State of Hawaii undertakings, under historic-preservation review |
| Contractor licence | A State of Hawaii licence from the Contractors License Board still applies to any contractor engaged |
| Access | Entry to the peninsula requires a permit through the Department of Health |
The absence of a permit is the finding. Kalawao County has no building department and no permit process, and no nearby office stands in for one. Construction here is governed by the National Park Service and the State — the honest answer to how one gets a building permit in Kalawao County is that there is none, and why.
Trade permits and who may pull them
There is no county trade-permit process in Kalawao County. Electrical, plumbing and mechanical work on the peninsula is carried out through the National Park Service and the State as part of managing the settlement and the National Historical Park.
Permit required
- Building and infrastructure work — carried out by the National Park Service and the State as undertakings on the National Historical Park, under historic-preservation review
- A State of Hawaii contractor licence — still required of any contractor engaged for such work, issued statewide by the Contractors License Board
Typically exempt
- A county trade permit — there is no county electrical, plumbing or mechanical permit counter in Kalawao County
How to apply for a Kalawao County building permit
Kalawao County has no building department. It is administered by the State Department of Health, and the peninsula is a National Historical Park — there is no county permit to pull.
Construction and rehabilitation are governed by the National Park Service and the State of Hawaii, working together, not by a county office.
The peninsula is a National Historic Landmark District, so any work on its structures proceeds under historic-preservation review.
Any contractor engaged still needs a State of Hawaii licence from the Contractors License Board, which is a statewide requirement.
Entry to Kalaupapa is restricted and requires a permit through the Department of Health, which administers access to the settlement.
Undertakings are scheduled and completed within the National Park Service and State management of the settlement, under its federal and state requirements.
Review, corrections and what actually causes delay
There is no county review process to move through in Kalawao County. Work on the peninsula is scheduled and carried out within the National Park Service and State framework, and access itself is the practical constraint: entry to Kalaupapa requires a permit through the Department of Health, and the settlement is managed as a protected historic place.
Inspections in Kalawao County
There are no county inspections in Kalawao County, because there is no county permit. Any work on the peninsula's structures is overseen within the National Park Service and State framework that manages the National Historical Park. The oversight here belongs to the park and the State, not a county building department.
Kalawao County permit search and official resources
- Hawaii State Department of Health — the state agency that administers Kalawao County and access to the Kalaupapa settlement
- Kalaupapa National Historical Park (NPS) — the National Park Service, which co-manages the peninsula and its historic structures
- 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
Does Kalawao County issue building permits?
No. Kalawao County has no building department and no permit process. It is administered by the State Department of Health, and construction on the Kalaupapa peninsula is governed by the National Park Service and the State, not a county office.
Why doesn't Kalawao County have a building department?
State law constitutes Kalawao as a county by itself but grants it only narrow powers and places it under the jurisdiction of the Department of Health, to govern the care of the settlement. Ordinary county functions, including building regulation, do not apply here.
Who governs construction on the Kalaupapa peninsula?
The National Park Service and the State of Hawaii, together. The peninsula is a National Historical Park and a National Historic Landmark District, so work on its structures proceeds under historic-preservation review within that framework.
Can I visit or build on the peninsula?
Access is restricted. Entry to Kalaupapa requires a permit through the Department of Health, and the settlement is managed as a protected historic place with a small resident population. There is no private construction market there.
Is Kalawao part of Maui County?
No. State law provides that Kalawao is not part of Maui County but is constituted a county by itself, even though the rest of the island of Molokai lies in Maui County.
Do state contractor licences still apply?
Yes. A State of Hawaii contractor licence from the Contractors License Board is a statewide requirement, so any contractor engaged for work on the peninsula still needs one, even though there is no county permit.
Simplify Kalawao County permitting with Alliance Permitting
More than twenty years of working real jurisdictions is what lets us tell you plainly when a jurisdiction has no permit process at all — and Kalawao County is that rare case. The honest answer here is that there is no county building department: the Kalaupapa peninsula is a National Historical Park administered by the State Department of Health and co-managed with the National Park Service, and construction is governed by that framework under historic-preservation review. We document what actually governs, rather than pointing you to an office that does not regulate the work.
Ready to break ground in Kalawao County sooner?
Send us the scope and the parcel. We confirm the review path with the State of Hawaii Department of Health, which administers Kalawao County, 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 Kalawao County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.