The Honolulu Department of Planning and Permitting (DPP) oversees permitting and enforces the rules on ADUs.
They put together some ADU instructions, which describes the basic requirements and permitting process. Also included in these instructions are answers to frequently asked questions and the ADU pre-check form.
The DPP circulates your pre-check form through the relevant agencies.
For contact information for the different divisions within the DPP, visit the their contact page.
A Declaration of Restrictive Covenants must be recorded with the Bureau of Conveyances or the Land Court before an ADU building permit is issued. See these instructions on how to prepare and file the restrictive covenants and their fee page for associated filing fees.
To check whether you need to record with the Bureau of Conveyances or the Land Court, search for your property on the City and County of Honolulu’s Real Property Assessment Division using your Tax Map Key. It will provide information when the owner acquired title and the document number of the conveying document. If the document number is shown by the year and document number, i.e. 1998-008768, it is recorded in the Regular System. If the document number is a number with no year reference, it is recorded in Land Court.
(808) 587-0147
The Wastewater Branch in Hawaii State Department of Health Environmental Management Division oversees septic or cesspool systems (not connected to city sewer). Chapter 62 in Title 11, Hawaii Administrative Rules, a single wastewater system, such as a septic or cesspool, can only service up to five bedrooms on a property, regardless of whether there is one dwelling unit or two. If you do not already have an individual wastewater system, you cannot add one unless you have a lot that is at least 10,000 square feet. New cesspools are not permitted, so you must look into a septic system or other wastewater treatment systems.
(808) 586-4294
