With Hawaii Island real estate inventory at record low levels, more buyers are turning to vacant land intending to build a home, or buying a home that does not quite “check all the boxes” but has the potential to do so with a remodel or some updating. In an “epic” moment of unintended poor timing, after five years of planning and programming, Hawaii Countyʻs online permit and plan application system “EPIC” went online at the end of July 2021.
Welcome screen for Hawaii Countyʻs EPIC plan and permit application system thanking users for their patience during this transition.
The Good News about Hawaii Countyʻs New Permit and Plan Application System
In the past, applying for a permit to build or remodel a home or to do significant earthmoving on vacant land on the Big Island required multiple trips to the county offices in Kailua Kona or Hilo. It helped to know the office employees and inspectors by name, as contractors and architects and even some of us diligent real estate professionals did. Occasionally it helped to show up with malasadas or home-baked banana bread. As always, courtesy and having your paperwork in order would go a long way.
The difficulty that the paperless permit system is intended to address is that in the past you physically picked up your paperwork and plan copies from one office and delivered them to the next desk to get all necessary approvals from various divisions within the Departments of Public Works and Planning. Once you got your permit, you still had to coordinate multiple inspections with phone calls and follow up.
With the EPIC system, all you have to do is create an account, upload the paperwork electronically, and then it can be accessed by all the necessary reviewers. All of the sources of relevant data, such as property zoning and flood zones, are integrated into the system. As construction progresses, you can request inspections and view the results online. In principle then, the new system should streamline and expedite initial approvals and subsequent inspections.
The Bad News about Hawaii Countyʻs New Permit and Plan Application System
Handwritten comments and approvals will be a thing of the past with the new electronic system
Everyone anticipated that there would be a few months of “working out the bugs” when the new system went live. No one expected the situation reported in the local press last week when the Countyʻs Building Director briefed the County Council. Prior to implementation of EPIC, there were already 1,500 applications pending; 550 permits were issued on these applications in August and September, leaving almost 1,000 in process. In addition, over 1,700 applications have been submitted using the EPIC system in 2-1/2 months, with only 110 permits issued.
Thatʻs about 66 permits issued per week. If they get up to 100 per week, without a single new application submitted the backlog looks to me to be about six months.
At least I can remove wallpaper and repaint while waiting for my building permit for the renovations!
I am one of the anxious homeowners with an owner-builder permit application pending. In September I bought a wonderful home that will be my primary residence just as soon as I whip it into shape. Luckily tree trimming, stripping wallpaper and painting, and “like for like” updating of a bathroom will not require permits. But converting an office and powder room to a new bedroom with full bath does. I promise to keep you posted on my luck with the new EPIC system!
Pat Bertroche
October 22, 2021
Aloha, Beth!
I reno’d a small plantation home in Pa’auilo in 2018 and 2019. It was supposed to be my retirement home, but my wife didn’t want to move after all. It was beautiful!
But I spent, in total, 18 months waiting for a permit and final inspection, for a job whose total actual work time was three months. The owner/occupant permit wasn’t too bad, since I worked in Hilo at the time and my office was just across the street. But for everything else it was, “Well, your paperwork looks good, we’ll call when we can come out.” Month or two goes by, they call, and schedule for another month out. Jeez. Then my electrician pissed off the inspector….and that was a 6 month wait.
I wish I could have brought malasadas and banana bread. I know you should never talk about bribes in an email. But….that’s what it took to get my permit.
I am waiting for my next project on the BI. I love that area around Pa’auilo. And now I know what to expect from the permitting process, I look forward to doing another house soon.
Big Island Mo Betta!
Pat
Janene Lasswell
January 4, 2022
We’re owner-builders in South Kona. Under the new Epic system, we aren’t allowed to upload docs to our building permit, though we’ve been told to do that before anything further can be done towards getting final inspections. I’ve emailed tech support, called and left a message with the building dept., crickets. Since the mayor specifically excluded owner-builder permits from processing, we’ll be forced to re-apply for permits. There’s no end in sight. I’ve contacted our local representative, heads of departments, the newspapers, etc. No one has the ability to address this monumental, lame problem.
Beth Robinson
January 4, 2022
> So sorry to hear of your frustrating experience, Janene.
drScott
January 17, 2022
I bought an acre+ of fee simple coffee-belt land. After 3 years in escrow, and then two years waiting for covid to damp down, my wife lost interest in moving to Hawaii. I’ve wanted to build a house for about 60 years. It sounds like there are 2700 permits in the que and they can only process 50 a month? I think i’ll be too old to build if i have to wait 4 more years to get started. I’m certainly not happy that the owner-builders have been apparently been sent to the back of the line.
Tori Lynn Sampsell
June 28, 2023
Hey Beth – we are thinking of buying a lot on the big island right now! I’m so glad you posted this so I can set some expectations about building the dream house :). Any updates on working out the bugs in the Epic system?
Thanks,
Tori
Beth Robinson
June 28, 2023
> Hi Tori,
Thanks for reading. This update was in October so I guess Iʻm overdue: https://about.hawaiilife.com/blog/hawaii-county-planning-updates-stvrs-and-the-epic-system/
Short answer is that progress has been made on the backlog, and that contractors and architects are now more familiar with the system. Good luck! And if you donʻt have a buyerʻs agent yet, we have a whole team to chose from!