RELATING TO COUNTY PERMITS.

Budget

Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor: GRANDINETTI, AMATO, BELATTI, IWAMOTO, MARTEN, OLDS, PERRUSO, SOUZA, TAM, TODD
Last action: 2025-12-08
Official status: Carried over to 2026 Regular Session.
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill does not specify exact funding amounts or how many positions each county must create.

County Permits for State Projects

This bill requires county permitting agencies to establish positions exclusively to process permit applications submitted for state projects and appropriates funds.

What This Bill Does

Requires each county's planning department or designated agency to set up specific jobs just for handling permits related to state projects.
Allows counties to contract third-party services until they can fill the new positions.
Defines 'state project' as any activity directly undertaken by the State or its political subdivisions, or supported through funding from the State or its political subdivisions.
Appropriates funds from the general revenues of the State for fiscal years 2025-2026 and 2026-2027 to support these new positions.

Who It Names or Affects

County permitting agencies
State government and its political subdivisions

Terms To Know

state project: Any activity directly undertaken by the State or its political subdivisions, or supported through funding from the State or its political subdivisions.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill does not specify how many positions each county must create.
It is unclear from the summary how much money will be allocated to each county for this purpose.

Bill History

2025-12-08 D
Carried over to 2026 Regular Session.
2025-01-21 H
Referred to HSG, JHA, FIN, referral sheet 2
2025-01-21 H
Introduced and Pass First Reading.
2025-01-17 H
Pending introduction.

Official Summary Text

RELATING TO COUNTY PERMITS.
Counties; Permits; State Projects; Designated Staff; Appropriations ($)
Requires county permitting agencies to establish and fill positions exclusively to process permit applications submitted for state projects. Appropriates funds.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

HB459

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

459

THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2025

STATE OF HAWAII

A BILL FOR AN ACT

relating
to COUNTY permits
.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

����
SECTION 1.
�
Chapter 46, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is
amended by adding a new section to part I to be appropriately designated and to
read as follows:

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"
�46-
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County permits; state projects; designated
staff.
�
(a)
�
Each county permitting agency shall establish
and fill positions exclusively to process permit applications submitted for state
projects; provided that each county permitting agency may contract the services
of a third party to process permit applications submitted for state projects
until the time that the positions are filled.

����
(b)
�
For the purposes of this section:

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"County
permitting agency" means the planning department of the counties of Kauai,
Maui, and Hawaii and the department of planning and permitting of the city and
county of Honolulu, or any other county agency designated by the county councils
to issue building, construction, or development-related permits.

����
"State
project" means any activity directly undertaken by the State or its
political subdivisions or supported in whole or in part through appropriations,
contracts, grants, loans, or other forms of funding assistance from the State
or its political subdivisions.
"

����
SECTION 2.
�
There is appropriated out of the general
revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $
or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2025-2026 and the same
sum or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2026-2027 for the
counties to establish and fill positions pursuant to section 1 of this Act, to
be allocated as follows:

����
(1)
�
$
to the city and county of Honolulu;

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(2)
�
$
to the county of Maui;

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(3)
�
$
to the county of Hawaii; and

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(4)
�
$
to the county of Kauai.

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The
sums appropriated shall be expended by each county for the purposes of this
Act.

����
SECTION
3.
�
New statutory material is
underscored.

����
SECTION
4.
�
This Act shall take effect on July 1,
2025.

INTRODUCED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title:

Counties;
Permits; State Projects; Designated Staff; Appropriations

Description:

Requires
county permitting agencies to establish and fill positions exclusively to
process permit applications submitted for state projects.
�
Appropriates funds.

The summary description
of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is
not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.