On August 5, 2021, Governor David Y. Ige issued an Emergency Proclamation, which continued suspension of certain laws related to the COVID-19 Response including the suspension of Hawai‘i Revised Statutes (HRS) Chapter 92, relating to Public Agency Meetings and Records (also known as the Sunshine Law).  HRS Chapter 92 was suspended to the extent necessary to enable boards to conduct business in-person or through remote technology without any board members or members of the public physically present in the same location. 

Until further notice, live-streamed Planning Commission meetings will continue via the county’s website at www.kauai.gov/Webcast-Meetings. Links and information will be provided on the Planning Commission website at: www.kauai.gov/BoardsandCommissions, through the “Planning Commission” tab.  In addition, the meetings of the Kaua‘i Planning Commission will be conducted as follows:

• Meetings will be noticed and posted pursuant to HRS Chapter 92.
• In-person meetings will be closed to the public to be consistent with social distancing practices.
• The meeting will be live streamed and also available as an archived meeting after completion at https://www.kauai.gov/Webcast-Meetings.
• Written testimony may be submitted on any agenda item and submitted to planningdepartment@kauai.gov or mailed to the Kauai County Planning Department,
  4444 Rice Street., Ste A473, Lihue, Hawaii 96766. Written testimony received by the Planning Department at least 24 hours prior to the meeting will be distributed to all Planning Commissioners prior to the meeting. Any testimony received after this time and up until the start of the meeting will be summarized by the Clerk of the Commission during the Planning Commission meeting and added to the record thereafter.
• Oral testimony will be taken during the public hearing portion of the meeting via the ZOOM technology platform. Anyone interested in providing oral testimony must provide a request to the Planning Department at least 24 hours prior to the meeting to planningdepartment@kauai.gov or by calling (808) 241-4050. Requests will not be allowed after that time. 
• You must register for the meeting to receive a ZOOM meeting link. At registration, you must include your name, telephone number, E-mail address, and the specific agenda item(s) that you will be testifying on.  Please register at least 1 hour prior to the meeting. Each registrant will receive a personalized meeting link once registered that cannot be shared.
  • It shall be the responsibility of the testifier to join the meeting through the ZOOM link provided by ZOOM via E-mail. In addition, it shall be the responsibility of the testifier to ensure that the ZOOM software is downloaded and operational prior to the meeting.
  • All testifiers’ audio and video will be disabled until it is your turn to testify.
  • Per the Planning Commission’s and Chair’s practice, there is three-minute time limit per testifier.
  • After providing oral testimony, testifiers should continue to watch the meeting via the live stream link found at www.kauai.gov/Webcast-Meetings.
• If any major and insurmountable technical difficulties are encountered during the meetings, the Planning Commission will continue all matters and reconvene at the next scheduled Planning Commission Meeting.
• Minutes of meetings will be completed pursuant to HRS Chapter 92 and posted to the Planning Commission’s website upon completion and approval.

If you need an auxiliary aid/service or other accommodation due to a disability, please contact the Planning Department at 241-4050 or planningdepartment@kauai.gov as soon as possible. Requests made as early as possible will allow adequate time to fulfill your request. Upon request, this notice is available in alternate formats such as large print, Braille, or electronic copy.

Effective April 5, 2021:

Starting Monday, April 5, the Planning Department will reopen its front counter for walk-in services with no appointments necessary from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. 

In addition to walk-in service, front counter service appointments will still be available and strongly encouraged. To schedule an in-person appointment please visit the Planning Department’s appointment system at https://planningdepartment.setmore.com. 

The Planning Department is located in the Līhu‘e Civic Center Kapule Building, which will no longer require customers to answer health- and travel-related questions prior to entry starting April 5. 

Customers will still be required to undergo a temperature check before entering the building and social distancing guidelines will be enforced. Masks will still be required for entry and service. 

Additional updates to the Planning Department’s Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) are as follows. 

• Applicants and members of the public are encouraged to contact the Planning Department at planningdepartment@kauai.gov or at 241-4050 to submit all zoning inquiries, including but not limited to zoning permit submittals, zoning determination requests, and zoning violation complaints. 
• All payments to the Planning Department, including but not limited to zoning applications, enforcement actions, and permit fees shall be: 
  1. Mailed to Planning Department, Kapule Building, 4444 Rice Street, Suite A473, Līhu‘e, Hawai‘i, 96766; or 
  2. Submitted through the Drop Box outside of the Kapule Building (the mail slot located outside of Real Property Tax Assessment Office); or 
  3. Submitted during a front counter visit. 
• Any payments that are submitted to the Planning Department shall be in an envelope clearly marked “Planning Department” and it shall have the respective zoning application number and/or Tax Map Key. 

The Planning Department is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday; except for State and Federal Holidays.

Effective: Monday, October 19, 2020

The Planning Department's front counter is now open to the public by appointment only.  The Planning Department's COVID-19 Standard Operating Procedures continue to remain in effect.  All remote appointments must be made at least 24 hours in advance by visiting the Planning Department’s appointment system at:  https://planningdepartment.setmore.com.

Effective: 9/28/20:

From Monday, September 28, 2020 to Monday, October 19, 2020, the Planning Department’s front counter at the Kapule Building in the Līhu‘e Civic Center will be closed while the area undergoes construction.  During this period, services will be held remotely and by appointment only.  Therefore, the “Planning Dept. COVID-19 Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) – dated May 27, 2020” have been temporarily amended as follows: 

1. All applicants and members of the public must contact the Department at planningdepartment@kauai.gov or at 241-4050 to submit any zoning inquiries, including but not limited to zoning permit submittals, zoning determination requests, and zoning violation complaints.

1. A representative from the Department will return any phone or email message Monday through Thursday within 24 hours of receipt.

2. All payments to the Planning Department, including but not limited to zoning applications, enforcement actions, and permit fees shall be:

1. Mailed to “Planning Department, Kapule Building, 4444 Rice Street, Suite A473, Līhu‘e, Hawai‘i, 96766; or,
2. Submitted through the mail slot located outside of Real Property Tax Assessment Office, on the right-hand side of the Kapule Building.

Any payments that are submitted to the Planning Department shall be in an envelope clearly marked “Planning Department”, and it shall have the respective zoning application number and/or Tax Map Key.

3. From Monday, September 28, 2020 to Monday, October 19, 2020,  the Planning Department’s front counter at the Kapule Building in the Līhu‘e Civic Center will be CLOSED.  During this period, services will be held remotely and by appointment only.  All remote appointments must be made at least 24 hours in advance by visiting the Planning Department’s appointment system at:  https://planningdepartment.setmore.com.

Effective 5/27/20:

1.    In order to practice social distancing protocols, the Planning Department encourages applicants and members of the public to contact the Department at planningdepartment@kauai.gov or at 241-4050 to submit all zoning inquiries, including but not limited to zoning permit submittals, zoning determination requests, and zoning violation complaints.

2.    A representative from the Department will return any phone or email message Monday through Thursday within 24 hours of receipt.

3.    All payments to the Planning Department, including but not limited to zoning applications, enforcement actions, and permit fees shall be:

a.    Mailed to “Planning Department,, Kapule Building, 4444 Rice Street, Suite A473, Līhu‘e, Hawai‘i, 96766; or,

b.    Submitted through the mail slot located outside of Real Property Tax Assessment Office, on the right-hand side of the Kapule Building; or,

c.     Submitted during a scheduled front counter appointment.

4.    Any payments that are submitted to the Planning Department shall be in an envelope clearly marked “Planning Department”, and it shall have the respective zoning application number and/or Tax Map Key.

5.    Effective June 1, 2020, the Planning Department’s front counter at the Kapule Building in the Līhu‘e Civic Center will be open Monday through Thursday from 7:15 a.m. to 5 p.m. Services will be by appointment only. Appointments must be made at least 24 hours in advance. To schedule an in-person appointment please visit the Planning Department’s appointment system at  https://planningdepartment.setmore.com.

Pursuant to the Governor's Seventh Supplementary Proclamation, the Uniform Information Practices Act and the Sunshine Law remain temporarily suspended in part, including all deadlines. To the extent the Planning Department has access to the records and redaction or substantial review of the records are not necessary, the Department will do its best to fulfill requests for information that are submitted to:  plankauai@kauai.gov.  

Please click here to download the Emergency Ordinance Qualification Process FAQs.

Please click here to download the Rain 2018 Qualification Form.

Additional Rental Units (ARU) are now permissible within the Residential Zoning District.

Please click here for the ARU clearance form and information sheet. 

The County of Kauaʻi Planning Department is now accepting orders for any individual, party, or entity to purchase hard copies of the document.

Copies of the plan are selling only as one total set, including appendices, at $130.00.

The Department will only conduct one mass publication of the plan in English, and this will be the only opportunity to order and receive a hard copy. Once the plan is translated into ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, and Niihauan, there will be a future opportunity to purchase that version as a hard copy.

Forms with advance payment must be submitted by April 20, 2018. Only checks or cash are accepted. Any checks must be made out to “County of Kauai Director of Finance”

We anticipate the hard copies for pick-up or mail delivery a month later.

To place an order, please fill out and complete the 2018 General Plan Update order form and submit payment to the Planning Department by April 20, 2018. 

The Planning Department is announcing that it will no longer be accepting paper plans for any project requiring a building permit, effective Feb.1, due to the county’s transition to 100 percent Electronic Plan Review (EPR) Services.

Projects requiring building permits must first be administered by the Building Division before further processing. Additionally, the County Department of Public Works will require electronic copies of construction documents (drawing sets) requiring a building permit.

As a reminder, a zoning application and commensurate fee must still be submitted in person to the Planning Department to initiate the office’s EPR.

However, the only exception will be those projects that do not require a building permit; only those requiring a zoning permit such as:

1) Perimeter fencing;

2) Retaining walls (not retaining more than 4 feet of fill/grade material);

3) Accessory structures under 200 square feet (Storage sheds); and

4) Concrete pads on residential parcels.

In this instance, the applicant is required to complete a zoning permit application and must pay the applicable fees. The department may require additional information to supplement the submittal.

Further, zoning permit applications requiring Planning Commission approval prior to plan submittal, those projects shall maintain present requirements.

However, any construction plan review related to these Planning Commission zoning permits and requiring a building permit from DPW must submit through the EPR process to receive Planning Department review and approval.

The EPR process is a web-based solution that allows plans for building permits to be submitted electronically, which will be replacing the traditional paper-based review method. For more information about the County’s EPR process, please visit www.kauai.gov/EPR.

Watch Kaua‘i Planning Department Deputy Director Kaaina Hull and Sea Grant Extension Agent Ruby Pap discuss shoreline setbacks and coastal erosion on Voice of the Sea!  

Click on the links below to watch the episode:

https://vimeo.com/215422926

https://youtu.be/yXPmxXlCIgQ

RE-CERTIFICATION APPLICATION INFORMATION RELATING TO ADDITIONAL DWELLING UNIT (ADU) ON OTHER THAN RESIDENTIALLY ZONED LOTS 

Pursuant to Ordinance No. 1006 approved on October 10, 2016:

• This amendment is only applicable to lots outside of the “Residential” zoning district.
• Every re-certification applicant must already possess an ADU Facilities Clearance Form that was completed on or before June 15, 2007. After being approved by all required agencies, the form shall be submitted with the Building Permit application. Completion of the ADU Facilities Clearance Form shall not guarantee the issuance of a Building Permit.
• You must re-certify this form with the Planning Department by Friday, June 30, 2017, otherwise you will lose your entitlements for building and zoning permits.
• A regulatory fee of Two Hundred Fifty Dollars ($250.00) shall be charged upon registration for re-certification.
• For lots on which an Additional Dwelling Unit is developed, no guest house shall be allowed. 
• An existing guest house may be converted into an additional dwelling unit but no additional guest house may be constructed.
• Please refer to Ordinance No. 1006 (approved 10/10/2016) and  Ordinance No. 1003 (approved 6/27/2016) for more information.

Visit the Planning Department at the Līhu‘e Civic Center or call 241-4050

for more information.

Information regarding the new procedures for all Kauai Department of Planning Condominium Property Regime (CPR) Zoning Clearance Requests are available here:

Memorandum

CPR Form

See link below for instructions on scheduling inspections for the county verification of CPR applications before the Real Estate Commission.

CPR_Instructions.pdf 

Do you care about the form and character of a place today and how they may change in the future?   Come join us this week for presentations that focus on the communities of Waimea- Kekaha, Hanapēpē-‘Ele‘ele, and North Shore!  

Waimea-Kekaha Closing Presentation

Wednesday, November 4th

Noon to 1:30 PM at the Waimea Courthouse

 Hanapēpē-Eleele Closing Presentation

Wednesday, November 4th

5:30 – 7 PM at the Hanapēpē Library

 North Shore Closing Presentation

Friday, November 6th

5:00 – 6:30 PM at the Church of the Pacific, Princeville

For more information check out our website: plankauai.com

*All tours are booked. 

An updated zoning permit application form is now available online. 

NEW Shoreline setback applications are available in hard copy at the Planning Department or can be accessed online in the "Resource Documents" folder under the "Zoning and Land Use Permits" tab located on the top-left hand corner of this website.

Effective December 5, 2014, the Department will enforce the new shoreline setback ordinance.  Click here to read the new shoreline setback ordinance.

The Planning Department, in partnership with the Department of Public Works, is developing concept plans for the future of Rice Street.  These plans will be shared with the public through a series of events during Rice Street Week.  Your input is welcomed as we plan for the future of Rice Street!  Click here for more information on Rice Street Week.

EFFECTIVE 9-30-14

Pursuant to Ordinance 974, the TVR-NCU Renewal fee will be set at $750.00.  Please check out the 2014 TVR-NCU renewal form found online on our Transient Vacation Rental Homepage which reflects the new fee increases.

The Kauai County Planning Department encourages the East Kauai Community to attend the following community outreach events to provide input on policy objectives and goals that have been developed through community visioning workshops.  The input will be used to develop an implementation plan. The highlights of the plan include: recommended locations for infill development, future growth areas for new housing, and recommendations for capital projects.

Please come and join us!

When: Saturday, October 4th, 2014

9:00am - Noon @ Kapaa Middle School Cafeteria - Ranking Exercise

12:30pm- 4:00pm @ Coconut Festival, Kapaa Beach Park - Public Outreach

4:30pm- 7:00pm @ Kapaa Art Night, Bank of Hawaii-Public Outreach

 For more information, please call 241-4050.  If you need an ASL interpreter, materials in an alternate format, or other auxiliary aid support, please contact the Planning Department at the phone number listed above.

Effective April 25, 2014, the Department will enforce new interpretative administrative zoning rules and regulations to be applied to Transient Vacation Rentals.   The 2014 TVR-NCUC Renewal Application Form, which is available on the TVR homepage, incorporates the requirements outlined in the administrative rules. 

Beginning July 15, 2013, the Department will no longer intake and process any written inquiries requesting a Director for Departmental Determination on potential and existing permit or zoning requirements without the required new form, "Determination Request Form", now available in "Quick Links" or in "Planning Resource Documents".

Read the new policy here.

TVR-NCU permit holders must fill out this new 2014 TVR-NCU Renewal Application form, now available online on the Transient Vacation Rental page.  

This 2014 TVR-NCU Renewal Application has been updated and revised with the new requirements set forth in the Interpretative Administration Rules enacted on April 25, 2014.

The new Special Management Area Rules are available. These rules regulate shoreline activities in accordance with HRS 205A and are effective November 5, 2011.