What each job was filed at
"Usual" is the middle permit: half were filed for less, half for more. "Middle half of firms" takes every firm with three or more permits in the trade, finds each firm's usual job, and shows the band the middle 50% of firms sit in; it is the number to hold a quote against. A dash (—) means we don't show that figure: in the firms column, fewer than eight firms had three or more permits, so there is no band.
| Job | Usual filed value | Middle half of firms | Permits (share priced) | Usual days to final | Pages |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical work | $3,000 | $1,500–$5,000 | 8,223 (100.0%) | 155 | cost · compare firms |
| Solar water heating | $4,000 | $3,800–$7,200 | 2,274 (100.0%) | 225 | cost · compare firms |
| Demolition | $5,000 | $5,000–$5,000 | 554 (100.0%) | 422 | cost · compare firms |
| Plumbing | $5,000 | $3,000–$15,000 | 125 (98.4%) | 323 | cost · compare firms |
| Fence & gate | $7,504 | $5,754–$15,000 | 580 (100.0%) | 130 | cost · compare firms |
| Remodel & repair | $20,000 | $15,000–$50,000 | 1,048 (100.0%) | 265 | cost · compare firms |
| Solar panels | $27,500 | $22,000–$39,949 | 16,068 (100.0%) | 102 | cost · compare firms |
| Home addition | $100,000 | $70,000–$175,000 | 979 (100.0%) | 567 | cost · compare firms |
| Swimming pool | $120,000 | — | 141 (100.0%) | 448 | cost · compare firms |
| ADU & ohana unit | $150,000 | $120,000–$215,000 | 297 (100.0%) | 533 | cost · compare firms |
| New home | $370,000 | $421,000–$600,000 | 1,572 (100.0%) | 295 | cost · compare firms |
Roofing and HVAC are not in the table because we have no cost page for them in Honolulu; retaining walls have a compare page but no cost page. Demolition values repeat: the middle half of firms all usually file $5,000, which looks like a standard figure rather than a price.
What moves the price in Honolulu
The home. Each cost page splits firms into thirds by the usual value of the homes they work on (2022 assessed values for Honolulu parcels). Honolulu's single-family value figure is $1,012,000.
| Job | Firms on the least expensive third | Firms on the most expensive third |
|---|---|---|
| Home addition | $87,500 | $150,000 |
| Fence & gate | $8,000 | $12,500 |
| Solar water heating | $3,500 | $5,500 |
| Solar panels | $30,000 | $16,000 |
| New home | $497,500 | $373,532 |
Figures from each cost page, data of 1 July 2025. Additions and fences rise with home value; solar and new homes go the other way. For solar, hold a quote against the firm band rather than the home-value split.
The firm. In electrical work the ten busiest firms usually file $9,500 a permit, while the 295 firms with fewer than ten permits usually file $3,000 (Honolulu electrical cost page). The busiest electricians are doing bigger jobs here, the reverse of most cities.
The paperwork. Days to final run from 102 for solar to 567 for an addition. Ask how a contractor handles a permit that stays open for more than a year.
What a Honolulu permit costs
The Department of Planning and Permitting's fee calculator page (read 22 October 2026) says plan review fees (ROH 18-6.1) and permit fees (ROH 18-6.2) are based on the project value of work in each structure. For applications that need plan review, the plan review fee is 20% of the tentative building permit fee, up to $25,000, on top of the permit fee. The calculator gives the fee for a value you enter; we don't reproduce its table here.
Filed value is not the price
- The fee rides on it. Both fees follow the declared value, so an applicant has a reason not to round up.
- The data is from 2022 to 2025. Prices have moved since; use the table for the spread between jobs and firms, and the compare pages for who did the work.
- Solar water heating and solar panels are separate. A solar water heater was usually filed at $4,000, a fraction of a panel system.
Check a quote in five minutes
- Find your job in the table and open its cost page.
- Put your quote against the "middle half of firms" band. Inside it is normal here; above it, ask what the extra covers.
- Open compare firms, find the contractor, and read its usual filed value, permit count and finished share.
- Ask whether the price includes DPP's fees and the final inspection; the usual addition here took 567 days to reach final.
Single-job guides: solar panel installation cost, what is an ADU, home addition cost. To check a Hawaii licence, see Honolulu contractor license lookup.
How we know this
Every row is a permit type with a cost page: the City and County of Honolulu issued at least 100 priced permits of it in the window 2022-07 to 2025-06, making up at least 80% of the type. Usual = median of the permits that carry a value; middle half of firms = 25th to 75th percentile of the usual value of firms with three or more permits in the trade (shown when at least eight firms qualify); days = median from permit issue to final inspection. Home-value thirds and busiest-firm figures are copied from each job's cost page and dated. The fee basis is quoted from DPP's fee calculator page linked under Sources.
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.
Compare every Honolulu solar installer by usual job and finished share →
Questions
- How much does solar panel installation cost in Honolulu?
The usual solar permit in Honolulu was filed at $27,500, across 16,068 permits, by far the busiest trade in the city. The middle half of 70 solar firms usually file between $22,000 and $39,949. These permits run from July 2022 to June 2025.
- What is the cost to build a house in Honolulu?
New-home permits were usually filed at $370,000 across 1,572 permits, with the middle half of 63 builders between $421,000 and $600,000. The lot is not in the figure, and the usual new-home permit took 295 days from issue to final.
- How much does an ADU or ohana unit cost in Honolulu?
ADU and ohana-unit permits were usually filed at $150,000 (297 permits), with the middle half of 31 builders between $120,000 and $215,000. The usual one took 533 days from issue to final.
- What is the cost of a home renovation in Honolulu?
Remodel and repair permits were usually filed at $20,000, with the middle half of 83 firms between $15,000 and $50,000. An addition was usually filed at $100,000.
- How much is a building permit in Honolulu?
The Department of Planning and Permitting sets building permit fees by the project value of the work in each structure (ROH 18-6.2). Where plans are reviewed, a plan review fee of 20% of the building permit fee is added, up to $25,000. DPP's online fee calculator gives the figure for a value you enter.
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
- How to check a contractor's license in Hawaii
- Anaheim contractor license lookup: CSLB classifications, the City's permit report and what it shows
- Boulder contractor license lookup: City license classes, state trade licenses and the permits