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  • Priority Review Program To End; Civcheck To Become Mandatory For Eligible Residential Projects Beginning Sept. 1

NEWS RELEASE
Mayor Rick Blangiardi
Department of Planning and Permitting
City and County of Honolulu

Priority Review program to end; CivCheck to become mandatory for eligible residential projects beginning Sept. 1


Courtesy: Department of Planning and Permitting

HONOLULU — The City and County of Honolulu’s Department of Planning and Permitting (DPP) is moving to the next phase of its CivCheck implementation, making the AI-guided review tool mandatory for eligible residential projects beginning Tuesday, September 1. The change will also mark the end of DPP’s Priority Review program.

Under the new requirement, permit applications for eligible residential projects that do not complete the CivCheck process will be rejected during pre-application review. Applicants will be directed to complete the CivCheck process before resubmitting their application.

DPP encourages applicants, contractors and design professionals to familiarize themselves with the new requirement before submitting a permit application.

Projects required to use CivCheck include:

•   New construction, additions, and alterations of residential single-family, two-family and duplex projects

•   Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) and ʻOhana units

Projects that are not eligible or required to use CivCheck:

•   Commercial projects

•   Electrical meter installations

•   General electrical work

•   Electric vehicle charger installations

•   General plumbing work

•   Fences

•   Retaining wall

•   Rewire projects

•   Solar projects

Projects eligible for “Quick Permits” should not be submitted through CivCheck.

“We’re excited to move CivCheck into this next phase and make it a required step for eligible residential projects,” said DPP Director Dawn Takeuchi Apuna. “CivCheck gives applicants an opportunity to identify and address common issues before submitting their plans to DPP for official review. We’ve seen promising results from the applicants who have used the system, and we believe expanding its use will help make the permitting process more efficient for both applicants and our staff.”

CivCheck is an AI-guided pre-application review tool that helps applicants identify and address potential issues with their plans before submitting a permit application to DPP. CivCheck does not replace DPP’s official plan review and does not guarantee permit approval.

Since its launch, CivCheck has demonstrated measurable improvements in the residential permitting process. Applicants using CivCheck have saved an average of 40.5 days during the permit review process. The implementation of CivCheck also recently earned DPP national recognition as a recipient of the 2026 AI 50 Award from the Center for Public Sector AI.

DPP expects the benefits of CivCheck to continue as more applicants become familiar with the software and incorporate it into their permitting process.

Because the CivCheck process involves reviewing and, when necessary, revising technical plans, DPP recommends that applicants have an industry design professional complete the CivCheck submission.

Applicants can get started with CivCheck in four simple steps:
    1Create a free CivCheck account.
    2Create a project.
    3Upload plans and supporting documents.
    4Complete the guided pre-check process and address any identified issues.


    Once a project successfully completes the CivCheck process, the plans will receive a CivCheck watermark and the applicant will receive a CivCheck ID. The CivCheck ID and watermarked plans must then be submitted with the permit application through HNL Build.

    DPP has also developed a step-by-step guide to help applicants who are new to CivCheck. Additional information, resources and eligibility requirements are available on DPP’s website.

    For more information, visit DPP’s CivCheck webpage.

    Create a CivCheck account: https://www.honolulu.gov/dpp/create-a-civcheck-account/
    Get started with CivCheck: https://www.honolulu.gov/dpp/getting-started-with-civcheck/


    —PAU—
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