Building permits, zoning and land rules in Maui County, Hawaii

Yes. Maui County requires a building permit for construction, alteration, moving, demolition, repair and use of buildings or structures¹. Applications submitted on or after October 28, 2023 must comply with the county's adopted building-code package⁹. Depending on the work and location, several county and state agencies may review an application before approval; fees follow the annual budget ordinance, and an unfinished project needs a new permit after the issued permit expires in five years¹. Qualifying nonresidential agricultural structures have a conditional exemption: the exemption does not apply to structures used as dwellings or lodging units, the owner must file a written declaration through MAPPS for each structure, and work cannot begin until the county accepts it and verifies floodplain compliance¹⁰. Required work must remain accessible for inspection, and construction cannot pass an inspection point without approval¹¹. A certificate of occupancy is required before using covered buildings or changing their occupancy, although listed exemptions include certain one- and two-family dwellings and utility occupancies¹².

The County of Maui Building Permit Section in Public Works' Development Services Administration handles building applications, inspections and certificates of occupancy; its office is in Wailuku and its online portal is MAPPS Customer Self-Service¹. Maui County publishes inspection requests, approving-agency review and permit duration as parts of its building-permit process¹. The Planning and Permitting Section handles zoning administration, land-use permits, subdivisions and Short-Term Rental Home applications from its Kaohu Street office¹³. Start with Planning when the question is what the parcel allows, then use the Building Permit Section for construction review. Short-Term Rental Home permits are limited by Community Plan Region, and a new application requires a processed Land Use Designation Form¹⁴. Permitted construction can require foundation, framing, energy-code and final inspections, and covered work must stay exposed until approval¹¹.

Yes. Maui County has adopted separate digital zoning maps for Maui, Lanaʻi and Molokaʻi, but the maps show approximate boundaries and final confirmation comes from the Planning Department². Allowed uses, setbacks and other development standards depend on the parcel and zoning district². Agricultural lots in the county agriculture district have a two-acre minimum⁷. Required yards differ by district: in the agricultural district the front yard is 25 feet and side and rear yards are 15 feet¹⁵, while the RU-0.5 rural district uses 25 feet and 15 feet and the RU-1 district uses 35 feet and 20 feet¹⁶. Residential R-1, R-2 and R-3 lots need at least 6,000, 7,500 and 10,000 square feet respectively¹⁷. Land near the shoreline on Maui island is subject to a separate shoreline setback of at least 40 feet, and 200 feet where no erosion hazard line is mapped¹⁸. Effective July 8, 2026, qualifying residentially zoned lots may have up to two accessory dwellings in addition to a primary residence, subject to zoning, building, fire, parking, water, wastewater and emergency-access requirements¹⁹. Those accessory dwellings are for long-term housing and cannot be used as short-term or transient rentals¹⁹.

The Hawaii Department of Health Wastewater Branch, not Maui County, approves individual wastewater systems; sewer-served properties instead deal with the relevant county department or private provider³. A licensed civil engineer must submit plans for a new or modified individual system, and the system cannot be used until the state gives written authorization²⁰. The engineer must submit the final inspection report and as-built plan within 30 days after construction²⁰. Only about 6.2% of mapped Maui County soils lack severe limitations for a conventional drain field, so wastewater feasibility belongs near the start of site planning²¹. A property abutting a right-of-way with a public wastewater system must connect at the owner's expense within 180 days after official notice²². Where sewer is unavailable or inaccessible, an alternative system still requires state authorization, and a new cesspool is not a lawful substitute²².

Maui County's rule for long-term RV occupancy on private land could not be confirmed, so ask the Planning and Permitting Section about the parcel and proposed use before treating owner permission as zoning approval¹³. Hawaii law requires authorization for both parking and habitation on private property and restricts nighttime vehicle habitation on public property, subject to listed exceptions²³. County-park camping is allowed only at designated campgrounds, and vehicle or RV camping in Molokaʻi District parks requires a permit⁵. Maui County treats a tiny home as a dwelling unit subject to the applicable zoning district; building codes may apply, and a trailer-mounted unit may need motor-vehicle registration⁶. Factory-built housing may serve as permanent housing in the Lahaina Burn Zone under updated procedures and certification requirements, but that district-specific rule does not establish countywide manufactured-home occupancy²⁴. A countywide minimum dwelling floor area could not be confirmed; ask Planning for the parcel's standard¹³.

1. Ask the Planning and Permitting Section to confirm the parcel's zoning, legal use and development standards^2,13.
2. Confirm whether access is from a county road or state highway: work on a county-road driveway needs a Maui County permit, while state-highway right-of-way work needs state approval^25,26.
3. Plan sewer or an individual wastewater system before fixing the house layout^20,22.
4. If acting as owner-builder, file the disclosure and follow the supervision, licensed-trade and recordkeeping conditions for qualifying own-use residential or farm work⁴.
5. Apply through the county process and obtain flood development approval before work in a special flood hazard area^1,27.
6. Schedule inspections, keep work exposed and obtain any required certificate of occupancy before use^11,12.

Confirm zoning and legal-lot status before closing because Maui County regulates subdivision and reconsolidation, with additional public review for many agricultural subdivisions²⁸. Verify the driveway route: constructing, reconstructing, removing or repairing a driveway on a county roadway requires a county permit, while access in a state-highway right-of-way follows the state process^25,26. Check sewer availability and individual-system feasibility early because a sewer connection can become mandatory after notice and most mapped soils have severe conventional drain-field limitations^21,22. For private water, Hawaii requires permits to construct a well and install pumping equipment, with separate water-use permission possible in designated groundwater management areas⁸. Check flood status before grading or storing materials because development in a special flood hazard area requires county review²⁷. If rental income matters, confirm the use before purchase because Short-Term Rental Home permits are limited by Community Plan Region¹⁴.