HCC §5-3-21
Getting proof that your project is exempt from a permit
Read the official text at hawaiicounty.gov ↗If you are doing work that does not need a permit, the county may still ask you to get a written declaration confirming it is exempt and that it follows flood and special management area rules. Being exempt from a permit does not let you break other laws or rules.
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The ordinance, as written (Hawaiʻi County) — Permit exemptions
A copy, taken August 21, 2026. The version published by Hawaiʻi County is the one that governs, and it may have changed since. Check it before relying on anything here.
(a) Any person who is undertaking an action that is exempted from the requirement for a permit may be required to obtain a declaration from the authority having jurisdiction that the proposed action: (1) Is exempt from the requirement to obtain a permit; (2) Complies with chapter 27, relating to flood control; and (3) Complies with chapter 205A, Hawai‘i Revised Statutes, relating to special management areas. (b) Exemption from the permit requirements of the construction code shall not be deemed to authorize violation of other provisions of this code or other applicable laws. (2020, ord 20-61, sec 2.) 5-3-21
Published by the County of Hawaiʻi Office of the County Clerk.
LawTrove is not legal advice. The summary above is a computer-generated restatement — the authoritative text is the official version linked above.