Honolulu’s Department of Planning and Permitting reduces permitting backlog

HONOLULU (KHON2) — The Honolulu Department of Planning and Permitting (DPP) is addressing its permitting backlog with notable progress.

In a presentation to the City Council today, the department reported a reduction in its backlog from 12,000 permits in December to 9,800 this month.

DPP Director Dawn Takeuchi Apuna highlighted that the speed and status of permit applications are significantly influenced by applicants themselves.

“We currently have 11,056 permits in our system. As of yesterday, 6,434 of these are with the applicants,” Apuna said. “This means 58 percent of the applications are in the applicant’s hands.”

To improve transparency and efficiency, DPP plans to upgrade its e-plan system next month.

This enhancement will allow applicants to track their permit status through a dashboard, providing visibility into how long permits have been with contractors versus DPP.

Additionally, DPP’s consultant has completed a review of the department’s processes and identified over 350 major areas for improvement.

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The department is now working on implementing an action plan to address these issues.