Kauai County, HI Building Safety: Electrical Permits (2026)

Kaua'i County Code § 13-2.3(a) makes it unlawful to erect, construct, enlarge, repair, move, improve, remove, alter, or convert any building or structure requiring electrical work without first obtaining a separate electrical permit from the administrative authority, the County Engineer of the Department of Public Works. Section 13-4.1 adopts the National Electrical Code, 2017 Edition, published by the National Fire Protection Association, as the governing standard for all electrical work covered by the code, subject to Kaua'i's own amendments in Article 4. Permits go only to a licensed electrical contractor under HRS Chapter 444 with a supervising electrician licensed under HRS Chapter 448E, to firms with a licensed supervising electrician, to federal, state, and county agencies with licensed staff, or to a homeowner working on his or her own single-family dwelling while holding a valid HRS Chapter 448E license.

Plans, specifications, and drawings are required for commercial, industrial, hotel, apartment, and single-family projects, with any load exceeding 40 KVA for private residences or 35 KVA for other buildings needing a design by a licensed electrical engineer registered in Hawai'i. A permit expires if work has not begun within 180 days or is suspended for 180 days, and it may be extended once, also for 180 days. Work begun without a permit triggers an investigation fee equal to the permit fee, with a $200 minimum combined charge. The electrical permit card must stay posted at the jobsite until final inspection.