If you have built a home on Maui or have executed a major remodel, you may have had some challenges with the process of obtaining permits. There is a lore about the challenge of obtaining permits. Some of it is fact, but there is also a fair bit of hyperbole when it comes to descriptions of the planning department. Those that have gone through the process recently have been reporting significant improvement in the efficiency and organization of the process. The county is continuing to make strides towards a more efficient and transparent process. The county’s recent announcement of a “commercial and residential permit open house” is a sterling example of the recent steps to improve permitting. The open house has been arranged as an avenue for interested parties to ask questions or raise concerns about the status of a pending permit.

The event is being held at the Kalana O Maui building on July 6th as the second phase of Mayor Alan Arakawa’s Permit Process Improvement Team (PPIT). If PPIT members are unable to address permit concerns right then and there, they will set up a follow up appointment to meet with the appropriate county departments.

Those interested are asked to come to the 9th floor of the Kalana O Maui building on July 6th, between 1 and 4 p.m. Please bring your building plans and other supporting documents with you.

Once you register at the front you will be able to speak directly to representatives from the departments of Planning, Public Works, Environmental Management, Water and Fire regarding your permits. Directors and deputy directors for the departments will also be present.

For more information about the Permitting Open House call Capital Improvement Program Coordinator Wendy Taomoto at 270-6258.