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About Permanent Housing

As you begin planning for the rebuilding of the permanent structure on your property, the following is important information you should know. Our County’s Office of Recovery is committed to continuously updating this information, ensuring you have access to the latest resources and support during this permitting and rebuilding phase.

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Emergency Building Permits

The Development Services Administration has launched a streamlined process for building permits for emergency reconstruction in fire-affected areas. The Disaster Recovery Building Permit is for alterations, repairs, reconstruction, and new construction of structures.

Emergency Building Permits

NEW

Expedited SMA exemption application

The County of Maui Department of Planning launched an expedited Special Management Area (SMA) exemption process for parcels in the Lahaina Disaster Area.

The expedited SMA exemption application is only for residential properties that are proposing the construction of a single-family home, including one ‘ohana unit (also referred to as an Accessory Dwelling Unit or ADU).

Additional parameters include the following:
  • Parcel must be located within the Lahaina Disaster Area
  • Maximum cumulative square footage of 7,500 square feet for all structures being proposed
  • Parcel must be located entirely outside of the erosion hard line (shoreline setback line)
  • Parcel must be located entirely outside of County Historic Districts 1 and 2
  • Parcel must be located entirely within Flood Zone X or XS.
  • If a parcel is located within the National Historic Landmark District (NHLD), it must conform to the design standards of the NHLD and each structure is limited to 3,500 feet.

Supported by 4Leaf Inc., which was contracted by the County to help expedite permits in the wake of the 2023 Maui wildfires, the new SMA exemption application portal can be found by typing “SMXF” in the following link:

Visit SMA portal

To find out whether a parcel is located within the SMA, county historic districts, NHLD, and flood zones, visit the County’s Land Use Viewer in the following link:

Visit Land Use Viewer

Expedited Permitting Outside of Burn Area

Homeowners affected by the August 2023 Wildfires may request for expedited permitting for a property outside the burn area that they will occupy as their primary residence.

Permit Request

Kāko‘o Maui Pre-Development Grant

Applications for this grant are currently closed. Learn more at our Kāko'o Maui Resource Center.

This program is available to Lahaina and Kula homeowners whose primary residence was destroyed or deemed uninhabitable due to the August 8, 2023 wildfires. Approved households are eligible to receive up to $15,000 in funding to cover pre-development needs that are necessary to rebuild your primary residence.

It’s important to note that applicants do not need to be of Native Hawaiian descent to apply for this program.

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Tips for Plan Reviews

Reviewing the first 40 plans submitted for Maui Disaster Recovery Permits revealed that several comments occur frequently. Here are many of the most common comments and how to satisfactorily incorporate the required information into plans:

tips for plan reviewsdownload (pDF)

Get Support

County of Maui Recovery Permit Center

Get assistance for permanent rebuild permits within the burn area in Lahaina and Kula from the 4LEAF team.

County of Maui Service Center
110 Alaihi St., Suite 207, Kahului, HI 96732
Get Directions

Monday to Friday: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

To contact the center, call (808) 270-5724.

Office of Recovery-West Maui

Hours: Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
(closed Wednesdays at 12:30-1:30 p.m. for meetings)

Get access to County, State, Federal, and community service agencies

  • CNHA's Kāko‘o Maui Resource Center
  • MEMA: Re-entry and contractor access passes
  • FEMA, SBA
  • Recovery Permit Center: 4LEAF, Inc. (For additional information, please call 808-270-5724)
  • County of Maui Office of Economic Development and partners' business support
  • Maui County Councilmember Tamara Paltin and staff
  • Rotating agencies include: Maui AIDS Foundation, Project Vision (SNAP, Med-QUEST), Kaiser Permanente, Maui Economic Opportunity (MEO), United Policyholders, Pono Legal, Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation.

Phone: (808) 270-4343

Lahaina Gateway
325 Keawe Street, Suite B102 (near Ace Hardware)
Get Directions

call center

Monday – Friday

8:00am – 4:30pm

Hawaii Interim Housing Program (HIHP)

Monday – Friday

8:00am – 4:30pm

Lahaina Community Land Trust

Wednesday & Friday

8:00am – 4:30pm

MEMA

Monday – Friday

8:00am – 11:30am

FEMA

Monday – Friday

8:00am – 4:30pm

SBA

Monday – Friday

8:00am – 4:30pm

4LEAF Emergency Building Permits

Monday – Friday

1:30pm – 4:30pm

Disaster Case Management Program

Monday – Friday

9:00am – 4:00pm

Councilmember Tamara Paltin

Monday – Friday

8:00am – 4:30pm

Office of Economic Development / Business Support

Monday – Friday

8:00am – 4:30pm

Maui AIDS Foundation/Kaiser Permanente/Imua

Tues & Thursday

9:00am – 3:00pm

Project Vision (SNAP and MedQuest)

Thursday

9:00am – 12:00pm

MEO

Wednesday

9:00am – 3:00pm

Tidal Basin (Hawaii Interim Housing Program)

Monday

8:00am – 4:30pm

United Policyholders

Friday

10:00am – 4:00pm

Pono Legal

Monday-Wednesday, Friday

10:00am – 2:00pm

Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation

1st and 3rd Wednesday

10:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Helping Maui CNHA

Resources have been specially curated to connect you with highly trained, local design professionals who can assist you from the application for your permit to the completion of your new home.

  • Free or discounted architectural Plans
  • Connect with local based builders
  • Navigate financing

American Institute of Architects, Maui Chapter

To connect or find a local architect visit AIA, Maui Chapter.

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CNHA's Kāko‘o Maui Relief & Aid Services Center

Survivors can meet with Kako‘o support staff to get support for Housing, FEMA, Legal assistnace and more across multiple community organizations.

  • Legal Aid. Financial Counseling and Mental Health Counseling
  • Support with SBA, FEMA appeals, Social Services and Application Assistance

Maui Mall
153 E Kamehameha Ave, Kahului, HI 96732​
Get Directions


Open: Monday-Friday at 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Phone: 808-204-2722
Email: kakoomaui@hawaiiancouncil.org

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