Residential Cesspool Conversion Grant Program

The Application Period for Residential Cesspool Conversion Grant Program 2 Opens September 8th.

The application period for the Residential Cesspool Conversion Grant Program 2 will begin on September 8th, 2026, at 10:00 am and will close on October 6th 2026, at 4:30 pm.

There are 50 grants of $20,000 available. Once the initial 50 applicants are selected, the remaining applicants will be placed on a waitlist for potential funding if any of the initial awardees elect not to accept the available funding.

The Grant period for the Residential Cesspool Conversion Program 1 is complete.

If you applied for the initial Residential Cesspool Conversion Program and were not selected from the waitlist, or if you received the grant but did not complete the process by the deadline, you will need to reapply for the Residential Cesspool Conversion Grant Program 2.

Program Information

The Residential Cesspool Conversion Grant Program for Kauai County will provide selected qualified homeowners with up to $20,000 to reimburse the cost of upgrading existing cesspools to individual wastewater systems (IWS) approved by the Hawaii State Department of Health-Wastewater Branch (WWB). To be eligible for reimbursement, work must be completed a licensed engineer and a licensed contractor holding an A, C-37, C-37a or C-43 license

Applicants will be evaluated according to the priorities established in County Ordinance 1104 and discussed in more detail below. Individuals can submit an application even if they meet all, some, or none of these priorities. If program funds remain after selecting applicants based on the specified priorities, those who do not meet the priorities may be considered on a first-come, first-served basis.

PRIORITY (i):

Properties located outside of the visitor destination area (VDA) with an existing building permit application for an Additional Dwelling Unit (ADU), Additional Rental Unit (ARU), or Guest House.

PRIORITY (ii):

Priority Upgrade Areas identified in the October report “2022 Hawai‘i Cesspool Hazard Assessment & Prioritization Tool: 2022 Updated Report and Technical Appendices,” or future updated versions thereof, prepared for the State Department of Health Environmental Management Division.

Kauai Priority Upgrade Areas per 2022 Hawai‘i Cesspool Hazard Assessment & Prioritization Tool Document(PDF, 347KB)

In concurrence with the State-DOH Cesspool Pilot Grant Program, properties located in Priority Levels 1 & 2 will receive Priority preference.

PRIORITY (iii):

Households earning no more than one hundred twenty percent (120%) of the Median Household Income (MHI) according to the U.S. Census Bureau 5-year 2019 American Community Survey data.

To find your income amount to enter on the application form, it is the Adjusted Gross Income on your Federal tax return.

PRIORITY (iv):

Properties receiving a Homeowner's exemption.

Visit County of Kaua'i Real Property Tax Office (qpublic.net) and search your subject property to determine if you have a Homeowners' Exemption.

PRIORITY (v):

Properties with a Residential real property tax classification

Visit County of Kaua'i Real Property Tax Office (qpublic.net) and search your subject property. A residential real property tax classification includes the following: Owner-Occupied, Non-Owner-Occupied Residential or Owner-Occupied Mixed Use.

PRIORITY (vi):

Properties located outside of the County’s sewer expansion area, as validated by the County Engineer or designated representative. Will be verified by the Housing Agency.

PRIORITY (vii):

Properties with an existing cesspool that is failing. A failing cesspool is a cesspool that requires pumping at least once per month or has spilled more than once in a year.

What is required to apply and included in the application?

Applicants will be asked to provide the following supporting documents in order to complete the application:

If applicable, an existing Building Permit application number for any of the following: ARU, ADU, or Guest House Building Permit.
Most recent federal tax return for all income earning household members
Certification Letter from a licensed Hawaii civil engineer that existing cesspool is failing or invoices and receipts confirming cesspool pumping or spills.
Proof of legal representation if other than homeowner applying.

What happens after I submit my application?

Applications will be reviewed, and applicants will be selected based upon a priority preferences point system. The submitted date of a complete application will be part in determining applicants' priority to receive the available funding.

If you are selected, you will receive the Residential Cesspool Conversion Grant Program Agreement (Grant Agreement) which outlines that your property is eligible to receive the grant, and the requirements needed in order to receive the $20,000 grant reimbursement. This agreement will be executed with the County of Kauai. Please be aware that the IWS must be installed and receive approval to use from the Hawaii State Director of Health prior to receiving the $20,000 grant reimbursement.

Once the Grant Agreement is executed, recipients will need to meet milestone deadlines in order to hold and retain the grant funding. At the conclusion of the milestone deadlines, recipients will be required to submit the documents below to the Housing Agency.

Design plans prepared by a licensed engineer (ENGINEER) must comply with Hawaii Administrative Rules (HAR) chapter 11-62 for IWS and be approved by the Director of Health.
ENGINEER’s final construction inspection report (w/ photos, as-builts and certification) that the individual wastewater system was constructed by a licensed contractor holding an A, C-37, C-37a or C-43 license in accordance with design plans approved by the Director of Health.
A copy of an approval to use letter of the wastewater system issued by the Director of Health; and
Receipts of payment made to the licensed engineer for design costs and/or permitting fees.
Receipts of payment to licensed contractor holding an A, C-37, C-37a, or C-43 license for construction and/or material costs.

More information:

For list of licensed civil engineers see DOHWWB website page Engineer Contacts | Wastewater Branch which provides a regularly updated list of IWS engineers for each island.

It is important for homeowners to ensure the contractor possesses a valid license (A, C-37, C-37a or C-43). We encourage you to utilize the following link to access the State of Hawaii DCCA Professional Vocational Licensing website MyPVL license search page and submit your request accordingly.

Cesspools that have been upgraded or converted to an Individual Wastewater System (IWS) that has an Approval-To-Use date prior to May 1, 2026, are not eligible for reimbursement for this program.

W-9 Request for Taxpayer Identification will be required prior to receiving grant reimbursement. Note that funds received under the Cesspool Conversion Program will be considered taxable income. Please consult a tax professional for further information.

If you previously participated in the State of Hawaii Department of Health Wastewater Branch Cesspool Conversion Program or were a grant recipient for a prior Kauai Residential Cesspool Conversion program that has received or is scheduled to receive funding from the State or County, you are ineligible for our program. Duplicate funding for the same property is not permitted.

If you own more than one (1) property, you can only apply for one (1) of them for this program. We will be verifying the owner's names listed on the TMK number that you must provide to check that only one property is submitted.

Application:

Placeholder for Link to Online application

After you've read the information above, we highly recommend submitting applications online for efficiency and ease. However, for your convenience, hard copy applications will be available at our office located at 4444 Rice Street, Suite 330, Lihu‘e, Hawai‘i 96766. The application period will commence on September 8th at 10:00 a.m.

We will contact you once verification of your application information is completed. If you have any questions, please email us at housing@kauai.gov. You may also contact us at (808) 241-4444.