A building permit in Maui County is issued by the Department of Public Works, the sole building authority for Maui, Molokai and Lanai, which administers the county's adopted code and runs plan review and inspections. The statewide contractor licence and the separate trade permits run alongside, and a fire-affected Lahaina property follows the county's dedicated rebuild path.
Two things set the Maui County process apart. A property rebuilding after the 2023 Lahaina fire moves through the county's expedited recovery path, tied to debris and water-safety clearances rather than the standard queue, so confirming that track is the first step for a fire-affected parcel. And a coastal project almost anywhere in the county triggers the Special Management Area review through Planning, which must clear before the building permit — a step that shapes the timeline on shoreline work.
This guide covers the County of Maui, which spans Maui, Molokai and Lanai. There is no separate city or town building department; the Department of Public Works is the authority for all three islands, so confirm which island and whether the parcel is coastal.
A Lahaina rebuild is its own track. Because the county runs a dedicated, expedited path for rebuilding fire-affected Lahaina properties — tied to debris and water-safety clearances — confirming that a parcel is on the rebuild track, rather than the standard queue, is the first step for fire-affected work.
What requires a building permit in Maui 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 Maui County, a permit means a Department of Public Works spanning three islands, the Lahaina rebuild path for fire-affected properties, and a coastal Special Management Area review on many parcels.
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 Maui building permit from the Department of Public Works for construction, additions and most alterations
- A Special Management Area approval on a coastal parcel, cleared before the building permit issues
- 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, plumbing and mechanical 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's adopted code places below the permit threshold, 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 Maui County, Maui County administers the county's adopted code across Maui, Molokai and Lanai through the Department of Public Works. Its defining current work is the recovery from the August 2023 Lahaina wildfire: the county has stood up a dedicated, expedited path for rebuilding fire-affected properties, coordinated with debris clearance and water-safety clearances, so a Lahaina rebuild follows a different track than an ordinary permit. Across the county, coastal parcels fall within the Special Management Area, whose review runs through the Planning Department before a building permit can issue.
Who handles permitting in Maui County?
Maui, Molokai and Lanai are served by the County of Maui Department of Public Works, which issues building permits and the separate trade permits, administers the county's adopted code, and runs plan review and inspections, with coastal review through the Planning Department.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Authority | County of Maui Department of Public Works |
| Office | 200 South High Street, Wailuku, HI 96793 |
| Phone | (808) 270-7845 |
| Islands | Maui, Molokai and Lanai — one authority for all three |
| Coastal | Special Management Area review through Planning before the building permit |
Permit types
Residential permits
Houses, additions, alterations and decks across the three islands are permitted through the Department of Public Works under the county's adopted code. A fire-affected Lahaina property follows the county's rebuild path; a coastal parcel clears the Special Management Area review first; the contractor holds the state licence; the trade 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, plumbing and mechanical trades are state-licensed and permitted separately at the county. In Maui County, the county permit is confirmed before construction starts.
Commercial permits
Commercial and multi-family projects are reviewed under the county's adopted code, with Special Management Area review on coastal parcels and Hawaii's wind design throughout. The electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits are pulled and inspected separately.
Separate trade permits and utility interconnection
In Hawaii the general building permit does not cover the trades. Electrical, plumbing and mechanical 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 Maui County the electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits are pulled separately through the Department of Public Works.
Maui County permit costs and fees
Maui County scales its building permit to the project, with the separate trade permits budgeted apart. The dimensions particular to the county are the coastal Special Management Area review and, for fire-affected parcels, the rebuild path's own sequence.
| Item | Fee or rule |
|---|---|
| Building permit | Scaled to the project under the county's fee schedule and confirmed at intake |
| Special Management Area | A coastal review through Planning that must clear before the building permit |
| Trade permits | Separate electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits, budgeted apart |
| Contractor licence | A State of Hawaii licence from the Contractors License Board, required in every county |
Coastal parcels carry an extra review. Because a coastal project in Maui County triggers the Special Management Area review through Planning before the building permit, that review belongs at the front of the schedule on any shoreline parcel — it sets the timeline, not the building permit alone.
Trade permits and who may pull them
Trade work in Hawaii is licensed by the state and permitted separately at the county. Electrical, plumbing and mechanical 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
- Mechanical — under a separate county mechanical permit, to the county's adopted code
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 Maui 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, plumbing and mechanical 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.
Review, corrections and what actually causes delay
The Maui County delays that recur are coastal-review and track delays: a shoreline project that had not cleared the Special Management Area, or a Lahaina rebuild filed on the standard queue rather than the recovery path. Clearing the coastal review early, confirming the rebuild track, and holding the state contractor licence keep the review on track.
Inspections in Maui 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, plumbing and mechanical inspections are called separately from the building inspections. A certificate of occupancy closes the file. Across Maui, Molokai and Lanai the building inspections run through the Department of Public Works against the permit number, and the electrical, plumbing and mechanical inspections are called separately from the building inspections.
Maui County permit search and official resources
- County of Maui — the Department of Public Works, permits, the Lahaina rebuild path and the adopted code
- 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
Is a Lahaina rebuild permitted differently?
Yes. The county runs a dedicated, expedited path for rebuilding properties affected by the 2023 Lahaina wildfire, coordinated with debris clearance and water-safety clearances, so a fire-affected parcel follows that track rather than the standard queue.
What is the Special Management Area?
A coastal zone in which construction requires a Special Management Area review through the Planning Department. On a shoreline parcel that review must clear before the Department of Public Works will issue the building permit.
Which islands does Maui County cover?
Maui, Molokai and Lanai. One Department of Public Works serves all three, so confirm which island the parcel is on and whether it is coastal before filing.
Which building code does the county use?
The county's adopted edition of the Hawaii State Building Code, with Maui County amendments. Confirm the current edition and amendments with the Department of Public Works.
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, plumbing and mechanical work each require a separate county permit, reviewed and inspected independently of the building permit.
Simplify Maui County permitting with Alliance Permitting
More than twenty years of working real jurisdictions is what tells you that Maui County spans three islands and is carrying the Lahaina rebuild, and that a coastal parcel almost always means a Special Management Area review first. Our team confirms the rebuild track where it applies, clears the coastal review early, holds the state contractor licence, pulls the separate trade permits, and tracks the submittal to a certificate — corrections included.
Ready to break ground in Maui County sooner?
Send us the scope and the parcel. We confirm the review path with the County of Maui Department of Public Works, 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 Maui County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.