Honolulu City Council eases building permit process

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE         

Nov. 2, 2022

Council eases building permit process

Approval of bill by Councilmember Elefante

HONOLULU, HAWAI‘I  ̶  Property owners seeking a building permit from the City and County of Honolulu will no longer have to submit a notarized statement to the Department of Planning and Permitting (DPP) as part of the application process. The Honolulu City Council today approved a measure to streamline the DPP process and it will take effect later this month.

Honolulu City Councilmember Brandon Elefante introduced Bill 51(22) CD1 by request to replace the notary requirement with a simple, online form for a property owner to use to affirm that they have no fines or penalties pending with the City. The City reserves the right to withhold a building permit if an owner is found to have outstanding fines or penalties.

“We received feedback from stakeholders and worked with DPP to arrive at this collaborative solution to help streamline the building permit process,” said Councilmember Brandon Elefante.

The bill was introduced at the request of stakeholders, for whom the notarization requirement would have imposed a burdensome cost. Companies note that their customers are seeking to reduce their cost of living and contribute to a more sustainable Hawai‘i, and are being charged more for trying to do so.

One company noted that it would likely submit 1,000 applications by the end of 2022 and that the fee for a traveling notary can be $75, or $75,000 in additional annual costs, likely to be passed on to consumers.

Individual residents also opposed the notarization requirement, noting the already lengthy building permit process.

Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi has 10 days to sign the bill, or it will pass into law automatically. The online attestation form will be prepared by DPP.