About Permanent Housing

As you begin planning for the rebuilding of the permanent structure on your property, the following is important information you should know. Our County’s Office of Recovery is committed to continuously updating this information, ensuring you have access to the latest resources and support during this permitting and rebuilding phase.

Emergency Building Permits

The Development Services Administration has launched a streamlined process for building permits for emergency reconstruction in fire-affected areas. The Disaster Recovery Building Permit is for alterations, repairs, reconstruction, and new construction of structures.

Expedited SMA exemption application

The County of Maui Department of Planning launched an expedited Special Management Area (SMA) exemption process for parcels in the Lahaina Disaster Area.

The expedited SMA exemption application is only for residential properties that are proposing the construction of a single-family home, including one ‘ohana unit (also referred to as an Accessory Dwelling Unit or ADU).

Supported by 4Leaf Inc., which was contracted by the County to help expedite permits in the wake of the 2023 Maui wildfires, the new SMA exemption application portal can be found by typing “SMXF” in the following link:

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To find out whether a parcel is located within the SMA, county historic districts, NHLD, and flood zones, visit the County’s Land Use Viewer in the following link:

Expedited Permitting Outside of Burn Area

Homeowners affected by the August 2023 Wildfires may request for expedited permitting for a property outside the burn area that they will occupy as their primary residence.

Tips for Plan Reviews

Reviewing the first 40 plans submitted for Maui Disaster Recovery Permits revealed that several comments occur frequently. Here are many of the most common comments and how to satisfactorily incorporate the required information into plans: