Hawaii County Leads in Streamlined Process for Home Building Permits

[Nomad]

Hawaii County tops the list for giving home-building permits in the entire state. Thanks to its efficient and faster permitting process. Between January and April 2023, the county approved 930 permits, beating other places like Honolulu, Maui, and Kauai.

The Electronic Processing and Permitting System has played a big role in streamlining the permit process. Since EPIC was introduced in 2021, the number of permits has gone up. In 2021, 838 permits were given and in 2022 857 were given. This increase in permits is important for dealing with the shortage of homes and the growing number of people in the state.

You can read more on this development in this article

 

[Debashis]

Hawaii County's success in expediting home-building permits through the Electronic Processing and Permitting System is a commendable step towards addressing the housing shortage. This streamlined approach should serve as a model for other regions grappling with similar challenges, enabling quicker and more efficient construction processes.

 

[Winny]

That's the beauty in having a system done up that streamlines the whole process. Every location needs to get with the time and adopt a system like what Hawaii County has here. People want to get on with building their new homes so they can live in them. And it's made easier when you implement systems that work for the people instead.

 

[Jake]

Hawaii is always leading the country into changing how we do things. Hawaii is not the last place to streamline the process, I expect to see a lot more locations following their lead here. I imagine too, that a lot of people are wanting to live in Hawaii. What's the cost of living like over there?

 

[escape13]

It still takes up to a year to get approved. Not sure that EPIC has made any difference. Still waiting to have our submitted permit request looked at. It has been sitting in waiting status for close to a month now. Nothing has been done with the request. Paid the review fee and submitted our packet. Since the process is so complicated and all the information and needs are scattered throughout the different departments and agencies. We have a small 2bd 2ba home with carport. I guess I should just expect to wait for the full year. So much for the oh so great EPIC, in the end it is still at the mercy of people.

 

[Winny]

It still takes up to a year to get approved. Not sure that EPIC has made any difference. Still waiting to have our submitted permit request looked at. It has been sitting in waiting status for close to a month now. Nothing has been done with the request. Paid the review fee and submitted our packet. Since the process is so complicated and all the information and needs are scattered throughout the different departments and agencies. We have a small 2bd 2ba home with carport. I guess I should just expect to wait for the full year. So much for the oh so great EPIC, in the end it is still at the mercy of people.

Yeah that's no good. A year wait is definitely not ideal. I hope they start to move the ball on things soon, especially since you already submitted your review fee and other info to get things moving. I hope they get it together and get you approved asap.

 

[Eric]

We have a small 2bd 2ba home with carport.

Did you apply for new construction or is this a remodel? I ask because the delay might not be so surprising if you're talking about new construction involving an intensive plan review process, not to mention potential zoning and grading permit considerations.

So much for the oh so great EPIC, in the end it is still at the mercy of people.

LOL. Your perspective on EPIC is definitely appreciated here. When new systems like this get rolled out, you'll often see the powers that be talking up how world-changing their new system is (read: "look what we did! we are awesome leaders!"). The general public sees the talking points but the reality on the ground isn't necessarily clear. We really have to hear from people like you who are directly affected by the change to get a sense of the reality of the situation.