Department of Planning & Permitting (DPP)
- Phone
- (808) 768-8220
- Hours
- Monday through Friday, 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Hawaii
Honolulu, HI permit fees and requirements
Honolulu prices its building permit from the total estimated valuation of work on ROH Table 18-A:
$20.00 to $500 of valuation, then rates from $2.50 per $100 down to $4.50 per $1,000 across eight bands — read on the whole valuation, with the printed dollar amounts as floors. Plan review adds 20% of the permit fee, capped at $25,000. The permit is consolidated: electrical, plumbing and mechanical work ride the same valuation.
Permit costs we have worked out
Each page shows the fee components, the formula the jurisdiction uses, and a worked example you can follow by hand.
Estimate your potential Honolulu permit fee with our Building Permit Fee Calculator.
| Permit | Category | Last reviewed |
|---|---|---|
| Honolulu building permit fees | structural | 2026-09-26 |
Local context
What is specific to Honolulu
Honolulu's permit is one permit. Chapter 18 of the Revised Ordinances covers the building, electrical, plumbing and sidewalk codes together, and § 18-6.2(b) defines the valuation as 'the total value of all construction work ... as well as all finish work, painting, roofing, electrical, plumbing, heating, air conditioning, elevators, fire extinguishing systems, and any other permanent work or permanent equipment.' There are no separate trade permits to price — the trades are inside the number.
The fee table itself, Table 18-A, rewards careful reading. Every band after the first phrases its rate as '$8 + $2.50 per $100 ... of the total estimated valuation of work' — of the *total*, not of the excess. That reading is the only one that makes sense: a marginal reading would price a $50,000 project at $622 under the fourth band and then drop to $286 under the fifth, a fee that falls as the project grows. Read on the whole valuation, the ladder climbs smoothly — $20 at the floor, $232 at $10,000, $982 at $50,000, $5,700 at $500,000 — with the printed dollar amounts acting as the band's floor rather than its chained base.
'Or fraction thereof' appears in every band, so each partial $100 or $1,000 buys a whole block. Plan review rides on top at 20% of the permit fee, capped by the ordinance at $25,000, and is not required for fences, retaining walls, pools and driveways. The DPP's own online calculator prices exactly this: one valuation in, plans review plus permit fees out.
Valuation
How valuation is determined here
The total estimated valuation of work — including all electrical, plumbing, mechanical and permanent equipment — read against Table 18-A's eight bands, with each band's rate applied to the whole valuation and the printed amount as the band's floor. 'Or fraction thereof' rounds every partial block up.
Who to contact
The office that issues the permit, with the details we have verified. Confirm current hours before travelling.
What these fees do not include
The list is not a disclaimer: on a new house the fees left out can outweigh the permit fee several times over. Every entry here is stated on the permit page as well.
Not included in our estimates
These figures are Honolulu's consolidated building permit fees from ROH Table 18-A. They exclude:
- Other-fee rows on the same table: plan review of revisions ($200 or 10% of the original permit fee, whichever is greater), temporary C/O ($200), change of contractor ($50), material-methods applications ($300), special assignment inspection ($1,000), master tract model review ($500), third-party certification ($500 initial, $1,000 renewal).
- Trade permits — there are none: electrical, plumbing, heating and air-conditioning work is part of the building permit's valuation by § 18-6.2(b).
- After-hours inspections, priced under Chapter 6, Article 12.
- Impact, zoning and wastewater fees, which are separate DPP and BFS processes.
Official sources for this jurisdiction
The documents these figures are transcribed from. Where a source contradicts itself we keep both readings and say so on the permit page.
- Official calculatorCityPrimary source
DPP Building Permit Fee Calculator
The City's own estimator: 'Use this calculator to estimate plans review and permit fees associated with obtaining a building permit. Enter the project valuation in the box.' Confirms one consolidated permit priced from a single valuation.
- Municipal codeCityPrimary source
Revised Ordinances of Honolulu, Chapter 18 — Table No. 18-A and §§ 18-6.1/18-6.2
Read 2026-09-26 on the American Legal Publishing code host through a real browser session (the host serves HTTP 403 to scripts). Table 18-A: eight bands, $20 flat to $500, then per-$100/per-$1,000 rates on the TOTAL estimated valuation ($8+$2.50/$100 to $1,000; $12+$2.20/$100 to $20,000; $82+$18/k to $50,000; $286+$14/k to $100,000; $700+$10/k to $500,000; $3,200+$5/k to $2,000,000; $4,300+$4.50/k above). § 18-6.2(b) fixes the valuation as the total value of all construction work including electrical, plumbing, heating and air conditioning. § 18-6.1: plan review 20% of the tentative permit fee, capped at $25,000. Amendment list ends Ords. 92-74 through 19-21, 20-18.