Honolulu, HI
Honolulu building permit fees
A Honolulu building permit is priced from the total estimated valuation of work on ROH Table 18-A:
$20.00 up to $500 of valuation, then rates that step down as projects grow — $2.50 per $100 around $1,000, $2.20 per $100 through $20,000, $18 per $1,000 through $50,000, down to $4.50 per $1,000 above $2,000,000. Plan review adds 20% of the permit fee, capped at $25,000, and the permit is consolidated — electrical, plumbing and mechanical work are inside the valuation.
How this fee is calculated
These are the components the schedule defines for this permit, as they applied on 2026-09-28. A component only applies to your project if its conditions match — read that column before assuming a figure. Want a figure for your own project? Estimate this fee with the permit fee calculator.
| Component | Formula | Applies when | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Building permit, valuation to $500 ($20.00)Permit fee | $20.00 flat fee | Project valuation up to $500 | — |
| Building permit, $500.01-$1,000 ($8 + $2.50 per $100)Permit fee | $8.00 + $25.00 per $1,000 of project valuation, or fraction thereof | Project valuation over $500 and up to $1,000 | — |
| Building permit, $1,000.01-$20,000 ($12 + $2.20 per $100)Permit fee | $12.00 + $22.00 per $1,000 of project valuation, or fraction thereof | Project valuation over $1,000 and up to $20,000 | — |
| Building permit, $20,000.01-$50,000 ($82 + $18 per $1,000)Permit fee | $82.00 + $18.00 per $1,000 of project valuation, or fraction thereof | Project valuation over $20,000 and up to $50,000 | — |
| Building permit, $50,000.01-$100,000 ($286 + $14 per $1,000)Permit fee | $286.00 + $14.00 per $1,000 of project valuation, or fraction thereof | Project valuation over $50,000 and up to $100,000 | — |
| Building permit, $100,000.01-$500,000 ($700 + $10 per $1,000)Permit fee | $700.00 + $10.00 per $1,000 of project valuation, or fraction thereof | Project valuation over $100,000 and up to $500,000 | — |
| Building permit, $500,000.01-$2,000,000 ($3,200 + $5 per $1,000)Permit fee | $3,200.00 + $5.00 per $1,000 of project valuation, or fraction thereof | Project valuation over $500,000 and up to $2,000,000 | — |
| Building permit, above $2,000,000 ($4,300 + $4.50 per $1,000)Permit fee | $4,300.00 + $4.50 per $1,000 of project valuation, or fraction thereof | Project valuation over $2,000,000 | — |
| Plan review fee (20% of the permit fee, max $25,000)Plan review | 20% of calculated permit fee | Every permit of this type | max $25,000.00 |
A real permit fee is these components added together. The department’s final calculation is the one that applies — this is the schedule it will be based on.
A worked example
Follow the arithmetic by hand. Every line is produced by the engine from the rules above, so the total cannot drift away from the schedule behind it.
Worked example
A single-family home addition in Honolulu with a total estimated valuation of $50,000, plans included.
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Project valuation | $50,000 |
| Occupancy class | Residential |
Example total
$1,178.40
An estimate, not an official fee. It is calculated from the published fee schedule as it applied on 2026-09-28. The permit office’s own calculation is the one that applies, and your project may fall under rules this schedule does not describe.
Fee schedule as of 2026-09-28Rules applied 2Rules considered 9
| Component | How it is calculated | Amount |
|---|---|---|
Building permit, $20,000.01-$50,000 ($82 + $18 per $1,000)Permit feeTable No. 18-A, band 4: '$82 + $18 per $1,000 or fraction thereof of the total estimated valuation of work.' $50,000 of work prices $982.00 — which is why the rate must read the total valuation: a marginal reading would drop the fee to $286 at the next seam.Show the working
| $82.00 + $18.00 per $1,000 of project valuation, or fraction thereof, in $1,000 steps | $982.00 |
Plan review fee (20% of the permit fee, max $25,000)Plan reviewROH § 18-6.1(a): 'The plan review fee is 20 percent of the tentative building permit fee as set forth in Table No. 18-A ... but not greater than $25,000.' Required when plans are submitted under § 18-4.2; not required for fences, retaining walls, pools, driveways and similar city-agency work.Show the working
| 20% of calculated permit fee | $196.40 |
| Total | $1,178.40 |
Fees that do not apply here
Listed so you can see what was considered and left out, rather than wondering whether something is missing. A rule can also be left out because it is not published for this permit at all, and that is stated where it matters.
- Building permit, valuation to $500 ($20.00) — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Building permit, $500.01-$1,000 ($8 + $2.50 per $100) — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Building permit, $1,000.01-$20,000 ($12 + $2.20 per $100) — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Building permit, $50,000.01-$100,000 ($286 + $14 per $1,000) — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Building permit, $100,000.01-$500,000 ($700 + $10 per $1,000) — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Building permit, $500,000.01-$2,000,000 ($3,200 + $5 per $1,000) — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Building permit, above $2,000,000 ($4,300 + $4.50 per $1,000) — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
Assumptions
- Calculated from 2 fee rules in effect on 2026-09-28.
- Amounts are rounded to the nearest cent, once, at the end of each component.
Band 4 ($20,000.01-$50,000) reads the total valuation: $82.00 + 50 x $18.00 = $82.00 + $900.00 = $982.00.
Plan review adds 20% of the permit fee: $982.00 x 0.20 = $196.40. Total with review: $1,178.40.
A $10,000 valuation would price $12.00 + 100 x $2.20 = $232.00, with $46.40 of plan review.
What is different in Honolulu
One permit, one valuation, eight bands — that is the whole structure. Chapter 18 of the Revised Ordinances covers the building, electrical, plumbing and sidewalk codes together, and § 18-6.2(b) includes electrical, plumbing, heating and air-conditioning work in the valuation the fee is read from. A kitchen remodel's plumbing, a panel upgrade's electrical work and the air conditioning all sit inside the single number DPP prices.
The bands read the total valuation. Each band's phrase is 'per $100 (or $1,000) ... of the total estimated valuation of work', with the printed dollar amount — $8, $12, $82, $286, $700, $3,200, $4,300 — as the band's floor. On that reading the fee is monotone: $232.00 at $10,000 of valuation, $982.00 at $50,000, $1,686.00 at $100,000, $5,700.00 at $500,000. (Reading the rates as marginal would make the fee drop $336 at the $50,000 seam — arithmetic impossibility, and the reason the total reading is the honest one.)
'Or fraction thereof' buys a whole $100 or $1,000 block for any fraction, so $10,100 of valuation prices one block above $10,000. Plan review adds 20% of the permit fee whenever plans are required (§ 18-4.2), capped by the ordinance at $25,000 — $46.40 on a $232 permit, $196.40 on a $982 permit. Fences, retaining walls, pools, driveways and similar city-agency work are exempt from plan review by § 18-6.1(b).
What this figure does not include
Impact fees, utility connections and other departments’ permits are the usual omissions, and in some jurisdictions they are larger than the permit fee itself.
Not included in these figures
This is the consolidated building permit under ROH Table 18-A. It excludes:
- 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/$1,000, renewal of material-methods approvals $100.
- Trade permits — there are none: § 18-6.2(b) puts electrical, plumbing, heating and air conditioning inside the building permit's valuation.
- After-hours inspections (Chapter 6, Article 12 rates).
- Impact fees, wastewater and zoning charges — separate DPP processes.
Common questions
How much is a building permit in Honolulu?
$20.00 up to $500 of valuation, then Table 18-A's per-$100 and per-$1,000 rates applied to the total valuation: $232.00 at $10,000, $982.00 at $50,000, $5,700.00 at $500,000.
Do I need separate electrical and plumbing permits?
No — Honolulu's building permit is consolidated. ROH § 18-6.2(b) includes electrical, plumbing, heating and air-conditioning work in the valuation the fee is read from.
How does the fee work — is the rate on the whole valuation?
Yes. Each band's rate reads the total estimated valuation of work, with the printed dollar amount as the band's floor. That is the only reading that makes the fee rise smoothly from band to band.
What does 'or fraction thereof' mean?
Any partial $100 (or $1,000, in the upper bands) is charged as a whole block. $10,100 of valuation prices one block above $10,000.
How much is plan review?
20% of the building permit fee, capped at $25,000 by ROH § 18-6.1. It is required when plans are submitted, except for fences, retaining walls, pools, driveways and similar city-agency work.
What does a temporary certificate of occupancy cost?
$200.00 — one of the other-fee rows on Table 18-A.
What happens if I start work without a permit?
ROH § 18-6.2(d) triples the fees for work that starts or proceeds before the permit is obtained, and the payment does not relieve anyone from complying with the code.
How is the valuation determined?
By the building official under § 18-6.2(b): the total value of all construction work including finish work, painting, roofing, electrical, plumbing, heating, air conditioning, elevators, fire extinguishing systems and any other permanent work or equipment.
Is there a fee calculator?
Yes — DPP publishes an official fee calculator (enter the project valuation) that estimates plans review and permit fees.
When did the current fees take effect?
Table 18-A's amendment list ends with Ordinances 19-21 and 20-18; the table as amended is the version the City's code host publishes today.
Does the permit cover the sidewalk too?
Chapter 18 covers the building, electrical, plumbing and sidewalk codes together; sidewalk-related charges follow the same chapter's framework.
How do I apply?
Through DPP's Permit Center (808-768-8220, eplans@honolulu.gov), 650 South King Street, with ePlans for electronic submittal.
Source and verification
The documents behind every figure on this page, with the dates that make them checkable.
- 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.
Verification
Last verified against the official source in Sep 2026.