ROH §18-5.3
Permit validity and correction of errors
Read the official text at honolulu.gov ↗Getting a permit does not mean your plans are approved as legal. The building official can still make you fix mistakes or stop work that breaks the law. A permit lasts three years, and unfinished buildings after that are treated as unfinished structures.
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The ordinance, as written (Honolulu County) — Validity
A copy, taken August 22, 2026. The version published by Honolulu is the one that governs, and it may have changed since. Check it before relying on anything here.
(a) The issuance under this section of any permit or approval of plans, specifications, and other data shall not be construed to be a permit for, or an approval of, any violation of this code or of any other law.
(b) The issuance of a permit shall not prevent the building official from thereafter requiring the correction of errors in the plans and specifications or from halting building operations when in violation of the provisions of the chapters and this chapter or of any other law; nor shall it prevent the institution of criminal action and the imposition of penalty as prescribed under § 18-7.1 hereof for violation of the chapters and this chapter.
(c) Every permit shall be valid for a period of three years from the date of its issuance, subject to satisfactory work progress as contained in § 18-5.4 ; provided that wherever time limit and appeal provisions are specified by other ordinances or regulations, such ordinances or regulations shall govern. Any building or structure that is not completed within the period of validity shall fall within the purview of unfinished buildings or structures.
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Published by the City and County of Honolulu through American Legal Publishing.
LawTrove is not legal advice. The summary above is a computer-generated restatement — the authoritative text is the official version linked above.