Where to search Honolulu permits
| Tool | Search by | What it shows |
|---|---|---|
| HNL Build | Address or TMK (logged out) | Permits on the property and their status |
| Building Permits 2005 to June 2025 (open data) | Any field, including contractor | Status, issue and completed dates, value, contractor and license number |
| Request to View Records | Address, TMK, permit number | Full permit files and drawings |
| Our Honolulu firm list | Contractor name | Each firm's permits, share closed and days to close |
The open data file is, in the City's words, "a static view of Building Permit data" that ends on 30 June 2025, which is why our Honolulu pages stop there. Use HNL Build for anything newer.
How to look up permits on an Oʻahu address
- Have the street address or the TMK (tax map key) ready; either works.
- Open HNL Build. If you are signed in, sign out.
- Type the TMK or address into the search box at the top of the home page.
- Open each permit and read its type, status and dates. A posted building permit also carries a QR code that links to its record.
- If nothing comes up for an older job, it may still be in POSSE, which DPP keeps "available in read only mode until we are able to migrate all historical records to our new archive system". Ask the Data Access and Imaging Branch.
What the statuses mean
DPP's open data file (counted 23 October 2026) mostly uses: Permit application closed, Job Cancelled, Inspection(s) in Progress, Permit revoked, Plans review in progress and Permit approved to issue. Our pages count a permit as closed when it reaches Permit application closed; cancelled jobs are left out (Honolulu about page; methodology).
| Trade | Permits | Firms | Closed (a year or more old) | Usual days to close |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solar | 16,068 | 110 | 83.4% | 102 |
| Electrical | 8,223 | 408 | 77.7% | 155 |
| Remodel and repair | 1,048 | 351 | 80.4% | 265 |
| Additions | 979 | 314 | 59.3% | 567 |
| ADU and ʻohana | 297 | 139 | 79.6% | 533 |
| New homes | 1,572 | 197 | 88.0% | 295 |
Inspection(s) in Progress on an addition a year after it started is normal here: only 59.3% of addition permits a year or more old were closed. On a solar job, which usually closes in 102 days, it is worth asking the installer about.
When the record is not online
DPP's Resources page says: "To access full permit files and other records, fill out a Request to View Records and/or contact our Data Access Imaging Branch at (808) 768-8277 (dppdaib@honolulu.gov)" (DPP Resources, read 23 October 2026).
What our Honolulu data adds
HNL Build shows one property at a time. Ours lists every Oʻahu permit a firm pulled in three years: the Honolulu permit statistics, and the compare lists for solar, remodels and additions. Checking the Hawaii license on a permit is in the Honolulu contractor license lookup; which jobs need a permit is in Do I need a permit?
See every Oʻahu addition contractor by share closed →
How we know this
HNL Build steps and the records request are quoted from DPP's HNL Build FAQ and Resources pages, read 23 October 2026; the status list is a count of the City's open data file that day. Our counts are City & County of Honolulu building permits on homes, July 2022 to June 2025, the last month the City published. Roofing and HVAC cannot be picked out in the file.
Numbers come from City & County of Honolulu building permits (DPP), data through July 1, 2025. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can.
Questions
- How do I find out if a permit was pulled on my house in Honolulu?
In HNL Build, DPP's online permitting system: log out first, then enter your TMK or address in the search at the top of the home page. DPP says a search from a logged-in account only returns records under that account.
- Are Honolulu building permits public record?
Yes. DPP lets anyone search permits in HNL Build, publishes building permits from 2005 to June 2025 as open data, and its Data Access and Imaging Branch lets you view full permit files on request.
- How do I see an old Honolulu permit file or drawings?
Fill out DPP's Request to View Records form, or contact the Data Access and Imaging Branch at (808) 768-8277 or dppdaib@honolulu.gov. DPP's previous system, POSSE, stays read-only until its historical records are moved to an archive.
- What does Permit application closed mean?
It is the status DPP's permit file gives a finished permit, and it is what our pages count as closed. In our file 83.4% of solar permits and 59.3% of addition permits a year or more old were closed.
- How long does a Honolulu permit take to close?
In our file the usual solar permit closed in 102 days, a remodel in 265 and an addition in 567.
Build your own list
Every firm with that kind of permit on record. Pick what you value. The list moves.
Related guides
- Honolulu contractor license lookup: which license, where to search, and what the permits show
- Bellingham building permit search: eTRAKiT, the permit dashboard and public records
- How to check a contractor's license in Hawaii
- Home improvement costs in Honolulu, HI: what 11 kinds of jobs were filed at (2022–2025 permits)
- Maricopa County building permit search: Permit Center and the historic viewer
- McKinney, TX building permit search: the Customer Self Service portal and the City's permit file
For one city
- Hiring a solar installer in Honolulu: the DCCA license, the permit, and what 16,000 solar permits show
- Building an ADU or ohana unit in Honolulu: the pre-check form, the recorded covenant, converting an old structure, and what permits show
- Do I need an electrical permit in Honolulu? The $2,500 repair exemption, HNL Build and closing times
- HNL Build Frequently Asked Questions — Honolulu Department of Planning and Permitting (2026-10-23)
- HNL Build — Honolulu DPP (2026-10-23)
- Resources — Honolulu Department of Planning and Permitting (2026-10-23)
- Request to View Records — DPP Data Access and Imaging Branch (PDF) (2026-10-23)
- Building Permits, January 1, 2005 through June 30, 2025 — Honolulu Open Data (2026-10-23)