Building Safety in Honolulu County, HI (2026)
7 rules for unincorporated Honolulu County, Hawaii.
Verified from official government sources
Fire Sprinkler Requirements
New one- and two-family homes on Oahu only need fire sprinklers when fire department access or water supply falls short of code, not as a blanket requirement for every new house.
Honolulu Home Sprinkler Equivalency Rule
Light RestrictionsROH § 16-1.2 (adding IRC § R313.2.2)
R313.2.2 Sprinkler Equivalency Requirements for Access Road and Firefighting Water Supply. The installation of a fire sprinkler system shall only be required for new homes where a sprinkler equivalency for fire access road or water supply is needed. Any renovation or addition to an existing one- and two-family dwelling that is not creating a new stand-alone dwelling unit is still considered exe...
Green Building Code
City and County of Honolulu facilities larger than 5,000 square feet must be designed to LEED Silver, the U.S. Green Building Council's minimum sustainability standard, under Revised Ordinances of Honolulu § 2-39.3. The mandate applies only to municipal buildings funded through the executive capital budget for fiscal year 2008 and later; it does not reach privately owned construction anywhere on Oahu.
Honolulu Green Building Standard for City Facilities
Some RestrictionsRevised Ordinances of Honolulu § 2-39.3
(a) Qualifying city facilities shall comply with LEED™ Silver, in the version most recently adopted by the U.S. Green Building Council, as a minimum design standard. (b) As used in this section, "qualifying city facilities" means facilities with a floor area greater than 5,000 square feet, the design of which is appropriated in the executive capital budgets for the fiscal years 2008 and the...
Carbon Monoxide Detectors
New buildings on Oahu must have carbon monoxide detection, and existing dwellings trigger the same requirement once a permitted addition, alteration, or repair crosses the Chapter 18 valuation threshold.
Honolulu Requires Carbon Monoxide Detectors
Some RestrictionsHonolulu Building Code § 915.1 (ROH § 16-1.1)
915.1 General. Carbon monoxide detection shall be installed in new buildings in accordance with Sections 915.1.1 through 915.1.6. When the valuation of an addition, alteration or repair to an existing dwelling and sleeping units exceeds the valuation specified in ROH Chapter 18 and a permit is required, or when one or more sleeping units are added or created in existing dwelling units, carbon m...
Building Permits
Reroofing on Oahu needs a building permit from Honolulu's Department of Planning and Permitting unless the building is a Group R-3 or U occupancy and the work will not adversely affect structural components.
Honolulu County Reroofing Permit Rules
Some RestrictionsROH § 18-3.1(a)(1), (b)(3)
(a) Except as provided in subsection (b), no person shall perform any of the following ... without first obtaining a building permit therefor ... (1) Erect, construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move, improve, remove, convert, or demolish any building or structure ... (3) Reroofing work that will not adversely affect the structural components for Groups R-3 and U occupancies [is exempt].
Electrical Permits
Honolulu adopted the National Electrical Code, NFPA 70, 2017 edition, as the State Electrical Code effective August 21, 2018, under ROH Section 17-1.1, with island-wide amendments to Article 90. Anyone doing electrical work anywhere on Oahu, from Kailua to Waianae, must first obtain a building permit under ROH Chapter 18, per amended NEC Section 90.17.1, and pass the Authority Having Jurisdiction's inspections before energizing the installation.
Honolulu Electrical Permit and Adopted NEC Rules
Some RestrictionsROH § 17-1.1 (adding NEC § 90.17.1)
The State Electrical Code, as adopted by the State of Hawaii on August 21, 2018, which adopts, with modifications, the National Electrical Code (NEC), NFPA 70, 2017 edition, as published and copyrighted by the National Fire Protection Association, is adopted by reference and made a part hereof, subject to the following amendments which, unless stated otherwise, are in the form of amendments to ...
Plumbing Permits
Honolulu adopted the Hawai'i State Plumbing Code, based on the 2018 Uniform Plumbing Code, under ROH § 19-1.1. The code makes it unlawful to install, alter, repair, or replace a plumbing system anywhere on Oahu without first obtaining a Department of Planning and Permitting building permit, with narrow exemptions for stoppage clearing and simple fixture swaps.
Honolulu Plumbing Permit Rules and Penalties
Some RestrictionsROH § 19-1.1 (Hawai'i State Plumbing Code §§ 101.2, 104.1, 104.4, 106.3)
101.2 Scope. The provisions of this code shall apply to the design, construction, ... alteration, repair, ... use, or maintenance of plumbing systems within the City and County of Honolulu. ... 104.1 Permits Required. It shall be unlawful to alter, install, repair, or replace a plumbing system regulated by this code ... without first obtaining a building permit. ... 104.4 Permit Expiration. A p...
Building Inspections
Honolulu adopts the 2018 International Building Code by reference under ROH § 16-1.1 and rewrites its inspection article to require five checkpoints for any permitted project: flood-zone elevation, lath/gypsum board, special inspections listed on the permit, discretionary spot checks, and a mandatory final inspection before occupancy. Skipping a required stage blocks the certificate of occupancy.
Honolulu Building Inspection Stages: IBC § 110.3
Some RestrictionsROH § 16-1.1, adopting IBC (2018) §§ 110.3, 110.3.3, 110.3.5, 110.3.9, 110.3.10, 110.3.11
110.3 Required inspections. The building official, upon notification, shall make the inspections set forth in Sections 110.3.3, 110.3.5, 110.3.9, 110.3.10, and 110.3.11 of this code. 110.3.3 Lowest floor elevation. In flood hazard areas, upon placement of the lowest floor... an elevation certification required in Section 1612.4 shall be submitted to the building official. 110.3.5 Lath and/or gy...
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