Hawaii permit review deadlines
How long does it take to get a building permit in Hawaii?
Hawaii took a different route. Instead of fining a slow county, its 2025 law lets the applicant's own licensed professional take responsibility for the plans once the county has had 60 business days.
The option opened on July 1, 2026, and covers single-family and multifamily housing in every county.
See the deadlines ↓Current Hawaii state-level guidelines
The short answer
Hawaii does not set a hard deadline for a county to approve a building permit. But under Act 295, if a county has not approved a complete housing permit application within 60 business days, the applicant can ask for an expedited permit. The licensed professional on the project then signs an agreement with the county, takes responsibility for approving the plans, and construction can start. The option took effect on July 1, 2026, and is set to expire on June 30, 2031.
By project type
Hawaii permit review deadlines.
Act 295 creates one clock and one alternative path for housing projects.
| Project type | Deadline | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| County review of a complete housing permit application | 60 business days | After this, the applicant may request an expedited permit. Counties can leave out time spent waiting on the applicant. |
| County check of an expedited request | 5 days | The county must say what is missing if the request is incomplete. |
A project does not qualify if it is taller than 30 feet, sits on a shoreline parcel, or encroaches on a FEMA flood zone without county floodplain review. Historic and burial site rules still apply.
Step by step
How Hawaii's review clock works.
The 60 business days run from that point.
The applicant can request an expedited permit.
Each professional of record provides at least $2,000,000 in insurance and an indemnity statement, and plans must be stamped by licensed engineers certifying code compliance.
After the agreement is signed, the county treats the application as approved by the licensed professional. County inspectors keep the right to enter the site.
When the clock runs out
What happens when a Hawaii county takes more than 60 business days.
There is no fee refund. The consequence is that the county's approval role passes to the licensed professional of record.
State and county inspectors can enter the site, and contractors must fix defects.
Each county can define the 60-business-day period and add administrative requirements.
Faster permit approvals start with more efficient plan review.
See how your team can spend less time chasing comments, waiting on other disciplines, and tracking down the status of a review, without changing your permitting system or CDP.
Recent changes
What changed, and when.
2025
Act 295 (SB 66) is signedCreates the expedited permit path for housing.
July 1, 2026
The expedited path opensJune 30, 2031
The law is set to expireCity by city
How Hawaii cities handle review times.
Honolulu has had its own 60-day goal for home permits for years, and a self-certification option since 2023.
Honolulu
A 2018 city law says home building permits should be issued within 60 days, a mark the city has struggled to meet. The city later let architects and engineers certify their own plans to skip review.
Read the source →City details come from each city's public pages as of November 12, 2026. Cities change their targets and processes often, so check the linked source for the current version.
Common questions
Hawaii building permit deadlines, answered.
How long does it take to get a building permit in Hawaii?
We found no fixed statewide deadline for approval. For housing, once a county has had a complete application for 60 business days, the applicant can switch to an expedited permit backed by their licensed professional.
Is a late permit automatically approved in Hawaii?
Not automatically. The applicant has to request the expedited permit, provide insurance and indemnity from the licensed professionals, and sign an agreement with the county.
Which projects qualify for Hawaii's expedited permit?
Single-family and multifamily housing projects no taller than 30 feet that are not on shoreline parcels and do not encroach on FEMA flood zones without county review.
How do Hawaii building departments keep up with these deadlines?
Three habits show up in the departments that hit the clock. They check applications for missing items in the first few days. They let building, fire, planning, and engineering review the same plans at the same time. And they track the days left on every review, so a manager can step in before a deadline passes.
Read it for yourself
Sources.
Keep exploring
Deadlines in other states.
If you review plans in Hawaii
Working under Hawaii's review clock? See how e-PlanSoft can help you hit it consistently.
Meeting a review deadline starts with a good intake process, disciplines that work together, and a clear view of every review in progress.
Book a demoSee how collaborative review works →This page summarizes public laws, rules, and city review practices in Hawaii as of November 12, 2026. Deadlines vary by location and permit type. These summaries are for reference, not legal advice. Check the linked sources and local requirements for the rules that apply to your project.