17 permits · verified 2026-09-11
What permits do you need to open a restaurant in Honolulu County?
In short
A restaurant in Honolulu County, HI has 4 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 13 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. Honolulu Fire Department, Fire Prevention Bureau charges $200 annual for the fire prevention permit — places of assembly. 5 of the 17 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-09-11 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.
Permits particular to a restaurant in Honolulu County
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fire Prevention Permit — Places of Assemblyonly if it applies to you | Honolulu Fire Department, Fire Prevention Bureau | $200 annual | annual | 2026-09-11 |
| Sign Permitonly if it applies to you | City and County of Honolulu, Department of Planning and Permitting | $18–$70 one-time, by estimated value of the sign work — $18.00 ($.01-$500.00), $35.00 ($500.01-$1,000.00), $70.00 ($1,000.01 and above) | one-time, per sign | 2026-09-11 |
| Automatic Fire Extinguishing System Permit (Commercial Cooking Equipment)only if it applies to you | Honolulu Fire Department, Fire Prevention Bureau | $100 one-time acceptance test; a further $100 reinspection fee applies if reinspection is required | one-time, per system (reinspection billed separately if needed) | 2026-09-11 |
| Food Handler Certification | Hawaii Department of Health, Food Safety Branch | No fee | 3 years | 2026-09-04 |
| Food Establishment Permit | Hawaii Department of Health, Food Safety Branch | $300–$400 a year for a restaurant, banded by risk category and floor area | annual — a late renewal adds 20% of the annual fee | 2026-09-04 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
Local permits that apply to every type of business in Honolulu County
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Business License — City and County of Honolulu positiononly if it applies to you | City and County of Honolulu, Department of Customer Services, Business License Section | No fee | not applicable | 2026-09-11 |
| Building Plan Review Feeonly if it applies to you | City and County of Honolulu, Department of Planning and Permitting | Varies — formula on the Honolulu County page | one-time, per project | 2026-09-11 |
| Fire Plans Review Feeonly if it applies to you | Honolulu Fire Department, Fire Prevention Bureau | Varies — formula on the Honolulu County page | one-time, per project | 2026-09-11 |
| Commercial Building Permit & Certificate of Occupancy | City and County of Honolulu, Department of Planning and Permitting | Varies — formula on the Honolulu County page | one-time, per project | 2026-09-11 |
| Special Management Area (SMA) Permit Determinationonly if it applies to you | City and County of Honolulu, Department of Planning and Permitting | $150 one-time, per tax map key (TMK) parcel | one-time, per property | 2026-09-11 |
| Zoning Verificationonly if it applies to you | City and County of Honolulu, Department of Planning and Permitting | No fee | one-time, per request | 2026-09-11 |
| Zoning Varianceonly if it applies to you | City and County of Honolulu, Department of Planning and Permitting | $2,400 one-time — $400 non-refundable Initial Review fee plus a $2,000 Processing fee | one-time, per application | 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.
HI registrations that apply to every type of business
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Business License — Hawaii positiononly if it applies to you | Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Business Registration Division | No fee | not applicable | 2026-09-04 |
| Articles of Organization (LLC)only if it applies to you | Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Business Registration Division | $51 one-time filing, including the $1 state archives fee | perpetual, but an annual report is due every year | 2026-09-04 |
| Articles of Incorporationonly if it applies to you | Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Business Registration Division | $51 one-time filing, including the $1 state archives fee | perpetual, but an annual report is due every year | 2026-09-04 |
| Annual Reportonly if it applies to you | Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Business Registration Division | $15 a year on paper; a $10 late fee applies per year delinquent | annual — due at the end of the calendar quarter containing the entity's own original registration date | 2026-09-04 |
| General Excise Tax License | Hawaii Department of Taxation | $20 one-time registration | no expiration — remains active until closed, surrendered or revoked for abandonment | 2026-09-04 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
How much does it actually cost to permit a restaurant in Honolulu County?
There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 17 records listed for a restaurant in Honolulu County, HI, 4 apply to every business of this type and 13 are conditional. Adding every fee on the page together would overstate what most operators pay, because it would include permits they never need.
Of the 4 that always apply, 1 carry a flat fee, coming to $20.00. That is a floor, not a total. 5 of the 17 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 4 have no fee published at all. The ones particular to this business that vary:
Sign Permit: $18–$70 one-time, by estimated value of the sign work — $18.00 ($.01-$500.00), $35.00 ($500.01-$1,000.00), $70.00 ($1,000.01 and above)
Food Establishment Permit: $300–$400 a year for a restaurant, banded by risk category and floor area
The other 3 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Honolulu County permits page and the HI state page.
Which offices issue these permits in Honolulu County?
Permits for a restaurant in Honolulu County, HI come from 6 separate offices: City and County of Honolulu, Department of Customer Services, Business License Section, City and County of Honolulu, Department of Planning and Permitting, Honolulu Fire Department, Fire Prevention Bureau, Hawaii Department of Health, Food Safety Branch, Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Business Registration Division, Hawaii Department of Taxation. No single office issues them all, which is why an opening means filing in several places rather than one.
- City and County of Honolulu, Department of Customer Services, Business License SectionIssues 1 permit on this page: General Business License — City and County of Honolulu positionKapalama Driver Licensing Center, Window #17, 925 Dillingham Blvd., Honolulu, HI 96817 · (808) 768-9700www.honolulu.gov/csd/business-license
- City and County of Honolulu, Department of Planning and PermittingIssues 6 permits on this page, including Building Plan Review Fee, Commercial Building Permit & Certificate of Occupancy, Sign Permit650 South King Street, 7th Floor, Honolulu, HI 96813 · (808) 768-8000www.honolulu.gov/dpp
- Honolulu Fire Department, Fire Prevention BureauIssues 3 permits on this page: Fire Plans Review Fee, Fire Prevention Permit — Places of Assembly, Automatic Fire Extinguishing System Permit (Commercial Cooking Equipment)636 South Street, Honolulu, HI 96813 · (808) 723-7139fire.honolulu.gov/fire-code/permits
- Hawaii Department of Health, Food Safety BranchIssues 2 permits on this page: Food Handler Certification, Food Establishment Permit591 Ala Moana Boulevard, Honolulu, HI 96813 · (808) 586-8000health.hawaii.gov/san
- Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Business Registration DivisionIssues 4 permits on this page: General Business License — Hawaii position, Articles of Organization (LLC), Articles of Incorporation, Annual Report335 Merchant Street, Room 201, Honolulu, HI 96813 · (808) 586-2727cca.hawaii.gov/breg
- Hawaii Department of TaxationIssues 1 permit on this page: General Excise Tax License830 Punchbowl Street, Honolulu, HI 96813 · (808) 587-4242tax.hawaii.gov/geninfo/licensing
What does a restaurant need in Honolulu County that other businesses do not?
Sign Permit
The fee document itself is dated 07/01/03 on its own face, and it remains the sign-permit fee schedule linked from the Department's live Building Permits Forms page, so it is treated here as the current figure. The fee is set by the estimated value of the sign work: $18.00 up to $500, $35.00 from $500.01 to $1,000 and $70.00 above $1,000.
Shared with other businesses in Honolulu County
- Fire Prevention Permit — Places of Assembly — Honolulu Fire Department, Fire Prevention Bureau, $200 annual, annual. Also required for fitness studios and retail stores; what it involves is set out on the retail stores page.
- Automatic Fire Extinguishing System Permit (Commercial Cooking Equipment) — Honolulu Fire Department, Fire Prevention Bureau, $100 one-time acceptance test; a further $100 reinspection fee applies if reinspection is required, one-time, per system (reinspection billed separately if needed). Also required for coffee shops; what it involves is set out on the coffee shops page.
- Food Handler Certification — Hawaii Department of Health, Food Safety Branch, No fee, 3 years. Also required for coffee shops and food trucks; what it involves is set out on the food trucks page.
- Food Establishment Permit — Hawaii Department of Health, Food Safety Branch, $300–$400 a year for a restaurant, banded by risk category and floor area, annual — a late renewal adds 20% of the annual fee. Also required for coffee shops and food trucks; what it involves is set out on the food trucks page.
The other 7 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Honolulu County, HI; what each one involves is set out on the Honolulu County permits page. The 5 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across HI and are covered on the HI state page.
How does a restaurant compare with other businesses in Honolulu County?
The closest match is a coffee shop, which shares 4 of these permits. A restaurant also needs Fire Prevention Permit — Places of Assembly. A coffee shop needs nothing here that a restaurant does not.
| Business | Its own permits | Shared with a restaurant | Only a restaurant needs | Only it needs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coffee shops | 4 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| Food trucks | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| Retail stores | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Fitness studios | 5 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| Auto repair shops | 4 | 1 | 4 | 3 |
| Salons and barbers | 4 | 1 | 4 | 3 |
| Veterinary clinics | 4 | 1 | 4 | 3 |
| Childcare centres | 2 | 0 | 5 | 2 |
| Contractors and trades | 5 | 0 | 5 | 5 |
Sources
Every figure for the permits explained on this page was read from one of these government pages on the date shown. Sources for the permits shared with other businesses are listed with their explanations on the retail stores page, coffee shops page and food trucks page. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the Honolulu County permits page and the HI state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.
- Sign Permits fee schedule (dated 07/01/03 on its own face, still the current document linked from DPP's live Building Permits Forms page) — $18.00 ($.01-$500), $35.00 ($500.01-$1,000), $70.00 ($1,000.01+), by estimated value of workCity and County of Honolulu, Department of Planning and Permitting · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-11
- Revised Ordinances of Honolulu, Article 3: Permits (ROH Chapter 18) — the code's table of contents lists the current chapters, including Chapter 11 (Child Care), Chapter 20 (Fire Code), Chapter 21 (Land Use Ordinance), Chapter 25 (Special Management Areas), and Chapter 34 (Regulation of Businesses)City and County of Honolulu, republished by American Legal Publishing · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-08
Related
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.