Coastal Area Permits
Permits are also required for most development in the coastal zone, referred to as the Special Management Area (shown on this map), and development in the shoreline area (generally within 60 feet of the shoreline). These permits should be processed before most zoning permits.
Effective September 26, 2025, accepted SMA Minor permit applications will be available to view here.
Special Management Area
Major SMA Permit
SMA development with a total valuation of more than $500,000.
Modifications to Major SMA Permits may be processed as Minor Modifications(opens in a new tab)
Modifications to Major SMA Permits may be processed as Minor Modifications(opens in a new tab)
What is the Special Management Area?
The Special Management Area (SMA) is an area that extends inland from the shoreline, established by the Honolulu City Council to preserve, protect, and restore the natural resources of the coastal zone. Visit the Property Information Map and turn on the SMA layer to see where the SMA is, or search HNL Build to see whether a property is within the SMA.
Do I need a Special Management Area Permit?
An SMA permit is required for “development” (as defined in Revised Ordinances of Honolulu Chapter 25), which includes any construction, grading, or change in the intensity of the use of land, with certain exceptions. Generally, those exemptions include:
- Construction or reconstruction of up to 2 dwellings with less than 7,500 square feet of floor area that are not situated on a shoreline lot, not within flood zones V or VE, and not susceptible to 0.5 feet of sea level rise as shown on the Hawaii Sea Level Rise Viewer(opens in a new tab);
- Additions of minor accessory structures (up to 300 square feet) to existing dwellings;
- Relocating a dwelling unit to an area less susceptible to coastal hazards;
- Repair, maintenance, or interior alterations;
- Demolition (unless at a historic site); and
- Agricultural uses.
Still not sure?
If you aren’t sure whether an SMA permit is required, you can submit a SMA Permit Determination request form under Coastal Permits in HNL Build.
Shoreline Setback Area
What is the Shoreline
Setback Area?
The shoreline is the upper reaches of the waves at high tide during the season of the year in which the highest wash of the waves occurs, usually evidenced by the edge of vegetation growth. The shoreline setback area is all of the land between the shoreline and the shoreline setback line.
- Until July 1, 2024, the shoreline setback line was 40 feet mauka (inland) from the shoreline (as certified by the State Department of Land and Natural Resources(opens in a new tab)).
- After July 1, 2024, the shoreline setback area accounts for increasing coastal hazards risks associated with global climate change and sea level rise in order to further protect public beaches and shoreline properties.
- For shoreline zoning lots in the Oahu Historical Shoreline Change Map area, the shoreline setback line is 60 feet mauka (inland) from the certified shoreline.
- For shoreline zoning lots where historical erosion data has not been collected for the Hawai‘i shoreline study, where historical erosion data show average annual coastal accretion, or where the historical erosion data show an average annual coastal erosion rate of zero are, the shoreline setback is 60 feet mauka (inland) from the certified shoreline.
- For shoreline zoning lots with coastal erosion and is outside of the Primary Urban Center Development area, the shoreline setback line is 60 feet mauka (inland) from the certified shoreline, plus 70 times the annual erosion rate, up to a maximum setback of 130 feet. This is shown in the following formula:
Shoreline setback = (annual coastal erosion rate in feet per year x 70 years) + 60 feet
The annual erosion rate may be viewed on the Oahu Historical Shoreline Change Map. The annual coastal erosion rate is shown as a negative number (red transect lines) on the map, but must be used as a positive number in the above-mentioned equation.
A certified shoreline survey is not required if it can be shown that proposed development is mauka (inland) of a waiver line 15 feet mauka (inland) of the shoreline setback line. In these cases, the shoreline must be established on drawings prepared by a surveyor, architect, engineer, or similar professional.
Adjusting the shoreline setback line
If the buildable area of a zoning lot is reduced to less than 1,500 square feet, the shoreline setback line may be adjusted to allow a minimum buildable area of 1,500 square feet, in accordance with Revised Ordinances of Honolulu Section 26-1.4(b).
Still not sure?
If you are not sure how to determine the location of your shoreline setback line, or if you want to confirm whether a shoreline structure is nonconforming, you can submit a shoreline setback determination request under Coastal Permits in HNL Build.
A webpage of the City and County of Honolulu, supported by the Hawaiʻi Office of Planning and Sustainable Development, Coastal Zone Management Program, pursuant to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Award, Award No. NA18NOS4190082, funded in part by the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972, as amended, administered by the Office for Coastal Management, National Ocean Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, United States Department of Commerce. The views expressed herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of NOAA or the U.S. Department of Commerce.