16 permits · verified 2026-09-11
What permits do you need to open a retail store in Honolulu County?
In short
A retail store in Honolulu County, HI has 2 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 14 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 16 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 retail store 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 |
| Conditional Use Permit (Minor) — Generalonly if it applies to you | City and County of Honolulu, Department of Planning and Permitting | $600 one-time — $200 non-refundable Initial Review fee plus a $400 Processing fee | one-time, per application | 2026-09-11 |
| Conditional Use Permit (Major)only if it applies to you | City and County of Honolulu, Department of Planning and Permitting | $400 non-refundable Initial Review fee, plus a Processing fee of $800 plus $300 per acre (or major fraction, .5 or greater) of the project site, capped at $15,000, per the Department's own current Conditional Use Permit (Major) application instructions. | 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.
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 retail store in Honolulu County?
There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 16 records listed for a retail store in Honolulu County, HI, 2 apply to every business of this type and 14 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 2 that always apply, 1 carry a flat fee, coming to $20.00. That is a floor, not a total. 5 of the 16 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 3 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)
Conditional Use Permit (Major): $400 non-refundable Initial Review fee, plus a Processing fee of $800 plus $300 per acre (or major fraction, .5 or greater) of the project site, capped at $15,000, per the Department's own current Conditional Use Permit (Major) application instructions.
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 retail store in Honolulu County, HI come from 5 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 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 8 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 2 permits on this page: Fire Plans Review Fee, Fire Prevention Permit — Places of Assembly636 South Street, Honolulu, HI 96813 · (808) 723-7139fire.honolulu.gov/fire-code/permits
- 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 retail store need in Honolulu County that other businesses do not?
Fire Prevention Permit — Places of Assembly
Required for any place of assembly with an occupant load of 300 or more persons; the Fire Department's own current page names restaurants, nightclubs, and dancing and drinking establishments specifically as examples. The permit must be posted in a conspicuous location, and a floor plan showing square footage, seating arrangements, occupancy load, and exits must be submitted with the application. The same Fire Department fee page also prices Tents and Canopies over 2,100 sq ft ($200), Flammable/Combustible Liquid Tank Installation ($150-$200), Liquefied Petroleum Gas Tank Installation ($200 for 125+ gallons), and a Fire Alarm Systems Acceptance Test Inspection banded by device count ($100-$500) — not listed as separate records here because they depend on project-specific equipment not every business installs.
Shared with other businesses in Honolulu County
- Sign Permit — 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. Also required for restaurants, coffee shops, salons and barbers, fitness studios, auto repair shops and veterinary clinics; what it involves is set out on the restaurants page.
- Conditional Use Permit (Minor) — General — City and County of Honolulu, Department of Planning and Permitting, $600 one-time — $200 non-refundable Initial Review fee plus a $400 Processing fee, one-time, per application. Also required for fitness studios, contractors and trades, auto repair shops, veterinary clinics and salons and barbers; what it involves is set out on the contractors and trades page.
- Conditional Use Permit (Major) — City and County of Honolulu, Department of Planning and Permitting, $400 non-refundable Initial Review fee, plus a Processing fee of $800 plus $300 per acre (or major fraction, .5 or greater) of the project site, capped at $15,000, per the Department's own current Conditional Use Permit (Major) application instructions., one-time, per application. Also required for fitness studios and contractors and trades; what it involves is set out on the fitness studios 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 retail store compare with other businesses in Honolulu County?
The closest match is a fitness studio, which shares 4 of these permits. A fitness studio needs Fitness Studio/Gym County License (not found), which a retail store does not.
| Business | Its own permits | Shared with a retail store | Only a retail store needs | Only it needs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fitness studios | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 |
| Auto repair shops | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Salons and barbers | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Veterinary clinics | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Contractors and trades | 5 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Restaurants | 5 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Coffee shops | 4 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Childcare centres | 2 | 0 | 4 | 2 |
| Food trucks | 3 | 0 | 4 | 3 |
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 restaurants page, contractors and trades page and fitness studios 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.
- Permits — the Honolulu Fire Department's own current, complete, itemized fee page for every fire-code permit it issues, stating the 2021 edition of NFPA 1 (with State and County amendments) was adopted as the Fire Code of the City and County of Honolulu effective January 3, 2025, and citing the specific amended section for each permit (Place of Assembly $200/year at Section 20.1.1.1; commercial cooking equipment suppression $100 initial/$100 reinspection; Fire Plans Review at 10% of the building permit fee, waived if sprinklered, at Section 1.12.8)Honolulu Fire Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-11
Related
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.