Solar Permit in Honolulu, Hawaii
Permit required
Yes, a permit is required
Before installing solar PV (with or without a battery) or a solar water heater.
Issued byCity and County of Honolulu Department of Planning and Permitting (DPP), Building Division
By Mario Bailey, verified against official sources
Quick answer
Solar PV is electrical work, and ROH 18-3.1(a)(2) requires a building permit for 'Any electrical work'; a solar water heater is water heating equipment under 18-3.1(a)(3). DPP runs solar through HNL Build: single-family and detached-duplex PV, PV with battery, and solar water heating qualify for an instant online Quick Permit when the property is outside a flood zone and has no advisory or violation, otherwise a building permit with plans is needed. DPP also offers an expedited clean-energy process for qualifying systems up to 20 kW.
Who is pulling this permit?
Apply yourself
Hire it out
Before you sign, ask the contractor:
- Who pulls the permit, you or me, and is the permit fee included in the bid?
- Which inspections will this job need, and who meets the inspector on site?
- Is your Contractors License Board (Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Professional and Vocational Licensing Division) license active, and under which business name? Verify it on mypvl.dcca.hawaii.gov.
Hawaii's owner-builder rule (HRS 444-2(7), 444-2.5, 444-9.1, 444-23(e)) sets what you may do on your own home without hiring anyone. Read the statute.
When a permit is usually needed
Before installing solar PV (with or without a battery) or a solar water heater.
What a solar permit costs in Honolulu
How to apply in Honolulu
In Honolulu, a rooftop solar PV permit application is a combined structural and electrical plan set: a site plan and roof framing details proving the array's mounting can carry its added loads, plus a one line electrical diagram covering listed modules and inverters, disconnects, and the rapid shutdown design. Utility interconnection is a separate approval that runs in parallel with the permit.
What most solar permit applications include:
- Both a building permit and a separate electrical permit are required, since the array must be designed and installed to the residential code's solar provisions and to the National Electrical Code (IRC R324.3).
- For Honolulu, the plan set identifies listed equipment: PV modules listed to UL 1703 (or both UL 61730-1 and UL 61730-2), and inverters listed to UL 1741, with grid-tied inverters listed for utility interaction (IRC R324.3.1).
- Structural drawings show that the roof framing is designed to structurally support the array and withstand the gravity loads it adds (IRC R324.4.1).
- For Honolulu, the site plan lays out roof access pathways at least 36 inches wide, plus a ridge setback sized to how much of the roof the array covers, so firefighters retain pathways and ventilation access (IRC R324.6.1, IRC R324.6.2).
- For Honolulu, the one line electrical diagram shows the rapid shutdown method and the location of its single initiation device, since one control point must bring all system conductors down to safe levels (NEC 690.12, NEC 690.56(C)).
- Interconnecting the array to the utility grid at a defined point of connection is a separate application process from the local building or electrical permit and must be approved before the system can operate (NEC 705.12).
- Some permitting offices route applications through SolarAPP+, an automated review platform that checks the plan set against code requirements and issues eligible permits instantly (DOE SolarAPP+).
General submittal guidance from IRC 2021 R324 (Solar Energy Systems) and NEC 2020 Article 690 (Solar Photovoltaic Systems) and Article 705 (Interconnected Power Production Sources). Source. City and County of Honolulu Department of Planning and Permitting (DPP), Building Division sets the exact checklist for Honolulu.
Where to apply in Honolulu:
City and County of Honolulu Department of Planning and Permitting (DPP), Building Division
- 650 South King Street, 7th Floor, Honolulu, Hawaii 96813
- Phone: (808) 768-8000
- Email: dpp@honolulu.gov
Solar Permit in Honolulu compared with nearby Hawaii localities
| Locality | Permit needed? | Threshold | What each Hawaii schedule says | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Honolulu | Permit required | Any size | ...and materials, plus a plan review fee of 20% of the permit fee (maximum $25,000)... | |
| Hawaii County | Permit required | Any size | ...Code, 2020, ord 20-61): fees are valuation-based under "General Construction": "$0... |
Inspections and closing out your permit
In Honolulu, inspectors verify the installed array against the approved plans, and some agencies run a rough check of roof attachments and penetrations while they are still exposed before the wiring and roofing close them in. The final inspection confirms rapid shutdown, disconnects, grounding, and required labels are installed correctly, and the system cannot be energized until the utility separately approves interconnection.
- In Honolulu: where an agency runs a rough or pre-inspection, it checks the array's roof penetrations while they are still exposed, confirming they are flashed and sealed (IRC R324.4.3).
- In Honolulu: the inspector confirms whether rapid shutdown is required, how it is accomplished, and that it is properly identified (NEC 690.12, NEC 690.56(C)).
- In Honolulu: pV disconnecting means must be permanently marked and installed where they are readily accessible, which the inspector confirms in the field (NEC 690.13).
- In Honolulu: bonding and grounding of the array, including every exposed non current carrying metal part and the grounding electrode system, is checked before sign off (NEC 690.43, NEC 690.47).
- In Honolulu: at the service equipment, the inspector looks for the required rapid shutdown placard, a labeled diagram showing the initiation device's location in the specified colors and letter sizes (NEC 690.56(C)).
- In Honolulu: utility interconnection is inspected and approved separately from the local building department's sign off, and the system cannot be energized until both approvals are in hand (NEC 705.12).
Schedule each inspection in advance and pass the final before you use the work or close the permit. Request inspections through the Honolulu permit portal or by phone at (808) 768-8000.
Inspection sequence from NEC 2020 Article 690 (690.12 rapid shutdown, 690.13 disconnects, 690.43/690.47 grounding, 690.56 labeling) and IRC 2021 R324.4.3 (roof penetrations). Source. An open permit left un-inspected can surface later in a title search or home sale.
Your Solar Permit checklist for Honolulu
- Confirm the requirement. Yes, a permit is required. Usually needed: Before installing solar PV (with or without a battery) or a solar water heater.
- Budget the fee. Valuation-based: ROH 18-6.2 permit fee on the fair market value of labor and materials, plus a plan review fee of 20% of the permit fee (maximum $25,000) under ROH 18-6.1(a) only when plans are required. No per-item schedule is published; DPP's Fee Calculator computes the fee from the project value. Clean energy projects up to 20 kW may use the expedited process under ROH 18-5.10. Official fee schedule.
- Apply. In Honolulu, a rooftop solar PV permit application is a combined structural and electrical plan set: a site plan and roof framing details proving the array's mounting can carry its added loads, plus a one line electrical diagram covering listed modules and inverters, disconnects, and the rapid shutdown design. Utility interconnection is a separate approval that runs in parallel with the permit. Start at the Honolulu permit portal.
- Keep the office details handy. City and County of Honolulu Department of Planning and Permitting (DPP), Building Division. Phone: (808) 768-8000. Address: 650 South King Street, 7th Floor, Honolulu, Hawaii 96813.
- Plan for inspections. In Honolulu, inspectors verify the installed array against the approved plans, and some agencies run a rough check of roof attachments and penetrations while they are still exposed before the wiring and roofing close them in. The final inspection confirms rapid shutdown, disconnects, grounding, and required labels are installed correctly, and the system cannot be energized until the utility separately approves interconnection.
Compiled from the official sources on this page. Last checked .
Frequently asked questions
- Do you need a solar permit in Honolulu?
- Solar PV is electrical work, and ROH 18-3.1(a)(2) requires a building permit for 'Any electrical work'; a solar water heater is water heating equipment under 18-3.1(a)(3). DPP runs solar through HNL Build: single-family and detached-duplex PV, PV with battery, and solar water heating qualify for an instant online Quick Permit when the property is outside a flood zone and has no advisory or violation, otherwise a building permit with plans is needed. DPP also offers an expedited clean-energy process for qualifying systems up to 20 kW. Always confirm with the City and County of Honolulu Department of Planning and Permitting (DPP), Building Division before starting.
- How much does a solar permit cost in Honolulu?
- Valuation-based: ROH 18-6.2 permit fee on the fair market value of labor and materials, plus a plan review fee of 20% of the permit fee (maximum $25,000) under ROH 18-6.1(a) only when plans are required. No per-item schedule is published; DPP's Fee Calculator computes the fee from the project value. Clean energy projects up to 20 kW may use the expedited process under ROH 18-5.10. See the official fee schedule for current amounts.
- Where do you apply for a solar permit in Honolulu?
- You can apply through the Honolulu permit portal or contact the City and County of Honolulu Department of Planning and Permitting (DPP), Building Division directly. The links are listed on this page.
- Can a homeowner pull a solar permit themselves in Honolulu?
- Under Hawaii law (HRS 444-2(7), 444-2.5, 444-9.1, 444-23(e)): Hawaii lets owners or lessees build or improve residential or farm buildings for their own use, or for use by their grandparents, parents, siblings, or children, without a contractor's license, as long as the building is not offered for sale or lease. The owner must register for the exemption with the county when applying for the building permit, supervise the work, hire licensed subcontractors for any licensed work, and use licensed electricians and plumbers for electrical and plumbing work unless the owner holds that license. Selling or leasing the structure within one year after final county inspection is treated as evidence it was built for sale, unless the permit valuation was under $10,000, the buyer is the owner's employee, or the Contractors License Board finds an unforeseen hardship. A violation carries a fine of up to $5,000 or 50% of the permitted construction value, whichever is greater, for a first offense, and bars the owner from the exemption for three years. Confirm how Honolulu applies this before you apply.
From the Library
What else needs a permit in Honolulu
Every other permit type we have verified for this jurisdiction, with the rule that applies here.
| Project | Permit needed? | Threshold | Typical fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bathroom Remodel Permit | It depends | interior remodeling that changes no room count, wall, window location, or electrical, plumbing or mechanical installation | ...and materials, plus a plan review fee of 20% of the permit fee (maximum $25,000)... |
| Deck Permit | Permit required | Any size | ...under ROH 18-6.2, plus a plan review fee of 20% of the permit fee (maximum $25,000)... |
| Electrical Permit | Permit required | Any size | ...and materials, plus a plan review fee of 20% of the permit fee (maximum $25,000)... |
| EV Charger Permit | Permit required | Any size | ...and materials, plus a plan review fee of 20% of the permit fee (maximum $25,000)... |
| Fence Permit | It depends | fence height at which a building permit is required; the exemption does not apply on a street corner or in a flood zone | ...under ROH 18-6.2, with a plan review fee of 20% of the permit fee (maximum $25,000)... |
| HVAC Permit | Permit required | Any size | ...and materials, plus a plan review fee of 20% of the permit fee (maximum $25,000)... |
| Patio Permit | It depends | uncovered walkways and outside paving within private property, not on a street corner or in a flood zone | ...and materials, plus a plan review fee of 20% of the permit fee (maximum $25,000)... |
| Plumbing Permit | Permit required | Any size | ...and materials, plus a plan review fee of 20% of the permit fee (maximum $25,000)... |
| Roof Replacement Permit | It depends | reroofing that does not adversely affect structural components, Group R-3 and U occupancies | ...and materials, plus a plan review fee of 20% of the permit fee (maximum $25,000)... |
| Shed Permit | It depends | aggregate floor area of one-story detached accessory storage buildings, tool sheds and playhouses | ...are valuation-based under ROH 18-6.2 (plus a 20% plan review fee, maximum $25,000... |
| Water Heater Permit | Permit required | Any size | ...and materials, plus a plan review fee of 20% of the permit fee (maximum $25,000)... |
Solar Permit in other Hawaii localities
Everything above, sourced
Code references
National and state model-code sections the general guidance on this page is drawn from. They are not Honolulu documents; the office above sets the local rules.
How this solar permit page for Honolulu was verified. 2 official sources: honolulu.gov, honolulu.gov; fee schedule: official document. Last checked by Mario Bailey, not confirmed with City and County of Honolulu Department of Planning and Permitting (DPP), Building Division. Rules change; confirm before you build. How we verify.
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