Honolulu’s multimillion-dollar investment in new building permit software may be showing signs of paying off after a stormy start that saw some permitting staff pleading for a return to the old system.
Following years of complaints from residents and builders about epic delays that left projects to languish — delays that hit the city’s property tax revenues — permit wait times have fallen since the launch of the new system, HNL Build, in August.
The median wait time to obtain a new building permit dropped to 2.5 months in the period from August through April — a 40% decrease compared to the same eight-month time period the previous year, a Civil Beat review of Department of Planning and Permitting data shows. Permits previously took four months to obtain.
Only 20% of those who applied for a permit in August 2024 had one eight months later. After the city’s new system took effect in August 2025, 30% had permit approval within eight months…