Maui County
County of Maui, Department of Planning
In short
County of Maui, Department of Planning issues 5 permits we publish for Maui County, last verified 2026-09-11. Each carries the fee as the agency publishes it, with a link to the schedule it was read from.
What this agency issues
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| County Special Use Permit / Special Permit (State Land Use Agricultural and Rural Districts)only if it applies to you | County of Maui, Department of Planning | $4,206 one-time, per application | one-time, per application | 2026-09-11 |
| Sign Permitonly if it applies to you | County of Maui, Department of Planning | $107 one-time, per sign | one-time, per sign | 2026-09-11 |
| Special Management Area (SMA) Permitonly if it applies to you | County of Maui, Department of Planning | A genuinely tiered, currently-published fee schedule under the Maui, Molokai, and Lanai SMA Rules (Table A, public hearing required): $3,206 for a new single-family dwelling on one lot; $4,686 for a new subdivision (single-family or multi-family), a new commercial/industrial project up to 50,000 square feet, a hotel with up to 100 guest units, a hotel renovation up to 50,000 square feet, or mixed use up to 15 acres; $5,786 for a larger commercial/industrial project (50,000+ sq ft), a hotel renovation of 50,000-99,999 sq ft, or mixed use of 15+ acres; $6,886 for a hotel with 100 or more guest units; $7,616 for a hotel renovation of 100,000 square feet or greater; $688 for a boundary amendment. A separate Table B (no public hearing required) prices minor permits, exemptions, and emergency SMA determinations at $206, and Shoreline Setback Approvals/Determinations at $688 each. | one-time, per project | 2026-09-11 |
| Use Determination (Zoning Verification)only if it applies to you | County of Maui, Department of Planning | $297–$4,206 one-time — $297 if handled administratively, $4,206 if it is not | one-time, per request | 2026-09-11 |
| Conditional Permitonly if it applies to you | County of Maui, Department of Planning | $3,970 one-time, per application | limited period of time, per the permit's own terms | 2026-09-11 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
About each permit
County Special Use Permit / Special Permit (State Land Use Agricultural and Rural Districts)
The current Appendix B fee ordinance prices both the general County Special Use Permit (MCC 19.510.010) and its parallel Special Permit for land in the State Land Use Agricultural or Rural district (HRS 205-6(a)) identically at $4,206, confirmed directly. This is the same product and fee the County's own Food Truck FAQs guide names as the pathway a food truck or trailer on agricultural land must use once it exceeds 1,000 square feet, sits within the Molokai community plan area, or is the 26th or later mobile food truck registered within the Hāna community plan area — disclosed here as background context rather than given a duplicate line.
Sign Permit
This is the standard, no-public-hearing-required sign permit fee, confirmed directly and currently from the Department of Planning's own fee schedule ('Other Sign Permits,' Table B). A separate, much rarer Sign Variance — for a sign that does not conform to the code outright and requires a public hearing — is priced considerably higher, at $3,959 (Table A, MCC §16.13.170(B)), confirmed in the same current ordinance; 'Other Promotional Signs' are priced separately at $31.
Special Management Area (SMA) Permit
Applies only to a proposed project on a property within the state-defined coastal Special Management Area, not islandwide. Every tier above is taken from the Department of Planning's section of the Appendix B fee ordinance. A separate, genuinely distinct Shoreline Setback Variance ($5,666, or $4,865 for removal/demolition) and Shoreline Setback Appeal ($3,464) exist for the narrower shoreline-setback process and are noted here rather than given their own lines.
Use Determination (Zoning Verification)
This is Maui County's closest confirmed analog to a zoning-verification service — a request that the Zoning Administration and Enforcement Division determine what use, or whether a specific use, is permitted on a given property. The current fee ordinance prices the administrative version at $297 and a non-administrative version (requiring further review) at $4,206, both confirmed directly under the same code citation.
Conditional Permit
The Department of Planning's own current page describes this as available 'for proposed uses that are similar or related to those uses permitted within the given use zone' and 'for a limited period of time' — Maui County's general conditional-use pathway, processed through the applicable Planning Commission. Whether a specific business needs it depends on the exact use and zoning district. A childcare facility whose proposed location is not a permitted use outright would use this same pathway, or the Special Use Permit recorded below, layered on top of, not instead of, Hawaii's own state Child Care License recorded at the state layer.
Contact
- Jurisdiction
- Maui County
- Phone
- (808) 270-7735
Contact details are taken from the agency’s own site or its published fee schedule. Where we have not verified a phone number we leave it blank rather than guess.
Sources
Every fee and term above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.
- Conditional Permit — the Department of Planning's own current page describing this permit as available 'for proposed uses that are similar or related to those uses permitted within the given use zone'County of Maui, Department of Planning · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-11
- County of Maui Revenues - Fees, Rates, Assessments and Taxes, Appendix B, Fiscal Year July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027 — the currently-effective annual fee ordinance, itemizing every business license, building/electrical/plumbing permit fee, Department of Planning fee, and Fire Department fee cited for Maui CountyCounty of Maui · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-11
- Food Truck FAQs — Maui County (published July 23, 2026) — the Department of Planning's own current comprehensive guide covering vending location rules, the Agricultural District Commercial Agricultural Structure registration and Special Use Permit triggers, the vendor's license, the State MFE permit, and the Food Truck/Trailer Wastewater Discharge LicenseCounty of Maui, Department of Planning · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-11
Other offices serving Maui County
- County of Maui, Department of Finance, Division of Motor Vehicles and Licensing
- County of Maui, Department of Public Works, Development Services Administration
- County of Maui, Department of Fire and Public Safety, Fire Prevention Bureau
- County of Maui, Department of Environmental Management, Wastewater Reclamation Division
The full permit list for this jurisdiction
Industry permit lists that include this agency
Hawaii jurisdictions
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.