Bill 212 could speed up permitting process on Hawaii Island

The following commentary was first published Nov. 7, 2024, in the Hawaii Tribune-Herald and West Hawaii Today under the headline “Don’t delay on cutting permit delays.”
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by Jonathan Helton, Grassroot Institute

Building permit delays create headaches for everyone.

Whether you are an entrepreneur trying to open a business or a homeowner interested in renovating your kitchen, you have probably waited two to six months — maybe even longer — for your permit to be approved.

There are many reasons for these delays, but a main one is that the county requires permits for all sorts of simple jobs that shouldn’t need one.

Bill 212, currently being considered by the Hawaii County Council, would help fix this.

The measure, introduced by council member Ashley Kierkiewicz, would do two things to speed up the permitting process for everyone.

First, it would increase the permit threshold for maintenance projects to $25,000.

Right now, the threshold is $7,500. But $7,500 doesn’t go very far in 2024. Simply replacing a countertop can cost you more than that, — thanks to inflation, the high cost of shipping goods to Hawaii, a shortage of qualified labor, and other factors.

The bill also would exempt greenhouses and other accessory structures of 1,000 square feet or less from needing a permit if built on agricultural-zoned land. This mirrors existing state law that gives farmers and ranchers broad permit exemptions for storage sheds, greenhouses and the like.

Because of a quirk in state law, however, some Hawaii Island parcels don’t qualify for the exemption because they are smaller than two acres. Bill 212 would fix that on the county’s end, allowing all ag-zoned parcels — regardless of size — to receive this exemption.

The two changes in this bill might seem minor, but they would help speed the process for everyone.

Anyone needing to do maintenance or looking to add a structure to their farm would benefit, of course. But by clearing those projects out of the permitting queue, Bill 212 would create a win-win for everyone, since it would give county staff more time to review other projects.

Bill 212 needs to pass only one more hearing before reaching the mayor’s desk. The council shouldn’t stop there, however.

As the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii pointed out in a recent brief, “Seven low-cost ways to speed up permitting in Hawaii,” there are many ways to streamline their building permit processes.

In particular, the County Council could heed the report’s suggestions on how to streamline approvals for solar projects, which make up about one-third of permits the county must review, as well as how to deal with unpermitted homes, which is a major issue across the island.

It is encouraging to see Hawaii County lawmakers taking action regarding permit reform. Let’s hope they continue to make this a priority.
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Jonathan Helton is a policy researcher at the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii and author of the recent policy brief “Seven low-cost ways to speed up permitting in Hawaii.”