Business licenses and permits in Hawaii

What applies everywhere in Hawaii

13 requirements are set by Hawaii itself and apply whichever city you open in. Local permits sit on top of them.

Sources

Every statewide figure above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.

1. Hawaii DCCA — business registration FAQ, the quarter-based annual report due dateHawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
2. Hawaii DCCA — corporation articles of incorporation fee scheduleHawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
3. Hawaii DCCA — LLC articles of organization fee scheduleHawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
4. Hawaii Board of Barbering and Cosmetology — beauty shop license feesHawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
5. Hawaii DHS — child care licensing application processHawaii Department of Human Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
6. Hawaii Administrative Rules title 17, chapter 891.2 — Registration of Family Child Care Homes, full textHawaii Department of Human Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-08
7. Hawaii Administrative Rules §17-891.1-1 and chapter 17-895 — definitions and general provisions (amendment, effective November 29, 2016)Hawaii Department of Human Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-08
8. Hawaii Contractors License Board — license fees and the biennial renewal cycleHawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
9. Hawaii Revised Statutes chapter 444 — contractor licensing, classifications and the $1,000 exemptionState of Hawaii · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
10. Hawaii Administrative Rules title 11, chapter 50 — food establishment permit feesHawaii Department of Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
11. Hawaii Department of Health — food safety education, the free food handler class and its three-year termHawaii Department of Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
12. Hawaii Business Action Center — starting a business, centred on general excise tax registrationHawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
13. Hawaii Department of Taxation — general excise tax brochure, the $20 one-time registration feeHawaii Department of Taxation · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
14. Hawaii Board of Electricians and Plumbers — individual trade licensing, separate from contractor licensingHawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
15. Hawaii Motor Vehicle Repair Industry Board — application requirements and fee scheduleHawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
16. Hawaii Board of Veterinary Medicine — the complete list of licenses it issues, individual onlyHawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04

Which Hawaii city are you opening in?

• Kauai County, HIKaua'i County (the islands of Kaua'i and Ni'ihau) is the only local government on the island: Hawaii has no incorporated cities, so every local permit comes from the County. Kaua'i County Code §23-4.1 limits County business licensing to the licenses Chapter 445 of the Hawaii Revised Statutes requires, so the Code provides no general business license, and §23-4.2 lists businesses, restaurants among them, that need no annual County license. The County license that does reach the food and retail industries is a liquor license from the Liquor Control Commission, required of any restaurant or store that sells alcohol. Every commercial project runs through a Zoning Permit from the Planning Department ($30 to $800 by class) before a building permit, and the Building Division prices building permits on a valuation table from $15 plus a 15% plan review fee, with no charge for a certificate of occupancy. A new non-residential connection in one of the County's six sewered areas pays a wastewater treatment capacity fee from $3,080 and, where the area has not been previously assessed, a sewer connection charge from $948, both set by Ordinance No. 1131. The Fire Department requires a $50 annual permit for a place of assembly of 300 or more people. Food establishment permits come from the State of Hawaii Department of Health, recorded at the state layer.26 published records
• Maui County, HIMaui County covers the islands of Maui, Molokai, Lanai, and Kahoolawe. The Department of Finance's annual fee ordinance (Appendix B, FY 2027) lists the individual business licenses the County issues — Peddling Merchandise, Secondhand Dealers, Selling Firearm, Pawn Broker, Auctioneer, Bike Tour, Taxicab, Aquatic Life Operations, Electronic Gun Dealer — and names no general municipal business license and none aimed at the ten industries covered here. The closest local analog to a food-truck permit is a $25 Vendor's License from the Department of Finance's Division of Motor Vehicles and Licensing for vending in County rights-of-way, stated on the County's own informational page though not itemized by that name in the current annual fee ordinance. Maui County also issues a wastewater discharge license named specifically for food trucks and trailers ($10 application plus $120 new/renewal every two years, Department of Environmental Management). The Department of Public Works' Appendix B fee ordinance publishes a valuation-based Building Permit fee table (from $30 up to $5,880 plus $10 per additional $1,000) together with a 35%-of-permit-fee Plan Review formula and a flat $50 Certificate of Occupancy fee, while the Department of Fire and Public Safety prices its own Fire Plan Review at 17.5% of the building permit fee and a $100-per-year Assembly Permit for an occupant load of 300 or more. The Department of Planning's fee schedule lists a $3,970 Conditional Permit, a $4,206 County Special Use Permit (identically priced to a parallel Special Permit for State Agricultural/Rural land), a $297-$4,206 Use Determination service, and a tiered Special Management Area permit schedule. Hawaii's Department of Health, not a county health department, is the food-permitting authority and is recorded once at the state layer. The Appendix B license schedule names no license for auto repair, veterinary practices, fitness studios or salons; contractors and childcare operators deal with the County through the building-permit and zoning-permit pathways listed below, and Appendix B's building, electrical and plumbing sections charge no fee for miscellaneous inspections of day care centers required under the state's group day care licensing rules.21 published records
• Honolulu County, HIThe Department of Customer Services' own Business License page lists the specific business licenses the City and County of Honolulu (island of Oahu) issues — Auctioneer, Peddler, Pawnbroker, Secondhand Dealer and similar named trades — and names no general municipal business license and none aimed at the ten industries covered here. The closest local analog to a food-truck permit is that same Peddler license ($60/year since January 1, 2026, under Ordinance 25-37), which explicitly reaches 'foodstuffs' and is required only to peddle on a public place. The Department of Planning and Permitting's building permit fee is set by the valuation table in ROH Table No. 18-A, with two percentage-based fees around it: a 20%-of-tentative-permit-fee Plan Review Fee (capped at $25,000) and a separate 10%-of-building-permit-fee Fire Plans Review fee (waived if sprinklered). Sign permits are priced $18-$70 by project value; Conditional Use Permits (Minor/Major) and a Zoning Variance carry current published fees, including a specifically named and priced Minor CUP pathway for 'Child or Adult Daycare.' The Honolulu Fire Department's own current fee page prices a Place of Assembly permit at $200/year and a commercial-kitchen fire-suppression acceptance test at $100. Hawaii's Department of Health, not a county health department, is the food-permitting authority and is recorded once at the state layer. The Customer Services Business License page names no license for auto repair, veterinary practices, fitness studios or salons, and the Department of Planning and Permitting's Building Permits FAQ discusses state contractor licensing (HRS Chapter 444) without any separate county contractor credential.19 published records
• Hawaii County, HIThe Vehicle Registration & Licensing Division's Business & Occupation Licensing page lists the business/occupation licenses Hawaii County (the Big Island) issues — Auctioneer, Bicycle Tours, Electric Guns, Firearms (to sell), Pawnbroker, Purchasing/Wrecking/Rebuilding Cars, Scrap Dealer and Second Hand Dealer — and names no general municipal business license, none aimed at the ten industries covered here, and, unlike Honolulu, no peddler or itinerant-vendor category. The closest local analog to a food-truck permit is the Department of Public Works Engineering Division's Special Activity Permit ($50 flat fee, capped at one year) for temporary commercial activity within County streets. Hawai'i County Code Chapter 5, Article 7 publishes a valuation-based Building Permit fee table (from $10 up to $355 plus $3 per additional $1,000) and a 20%-of-permit-fee Plan Review formula (minimum $50), and Chapter 3 (Signs) sets a $25 fee for each new sign permit. Three separate Planning Commission products — the Use Permit, the Special Permit (for Agricultural/Rural-zoned land), and the Special Management Area Use Permit (Major) — each carry an identical $500 EPIC filing fee; the Plan Approval site-plan review form states no fee. The Hawai'i Fire Department's own current fee pages price a Places of Assembly permit at $200/year, a commercial-kitchen fire-suppression acceptance test at no charge initially ($100 for reinspection), and a Flammable Finishes Spray Booth permit (relevant to auto-body paint booths) at $200/year. Hawaii's Department of Health, not a county health department, is the food-permitting authority and is recorded once at the state layer. The VRL license page names no license for auto repair, veterinary practices, fitness studios or salons; contractors and childcare operators deal with the County through the building-permit process and the general zoning-permit pathway listed below.18 published records

Is there a single Hawaii business license?

Who issues permits in Hawaii?

• Hawaii DCCA, Professional and Vocational Licensing DivisionBarbering and cosmetology · Contractor licensing · Veterinary licensing · Motor vehicle repair licensing5 permits
• Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Business Registration DivisionEntity formation · Annual reports4 permits
• Hawaii Department of Health, Food Safety BranchFood establishment permits by island district2 permits
• Hawaii Department of Human Services, Child Care Licensing ProgramChild care facility licensing1 permit
• Hawaii Department of TaxationGeneral excise tax licensing1 permit

By industry

• All 10 industries we cover