Department of Parks and Recreation

DEPARTMENT OF PARKS & RECREATION​

Ka ʻOihana Mālama Pāka a me nā Hana Hoʻonanea

Park Permits

Table of Contents

Use of City Park Facilities

Persons requesting a permit to use a park facility for the purpose of expressing views or engaging in other activities protected by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, please click on the following link for more information: “First Amendment Activities.”  All other persons desiring to use a park facility must have an approved “Use of Park Facilities” permit to:

  • Conduct any organized activity, e.g. sports tournaments, meetings, or workshops.
  • Reserve the use of recreation facilities including fields, gyms, rooms, and pools (no private parties allowed).
  • Have a group picnic of 50 or more persons.
  • Utilize / set-up large structures such as inflatable bounce houses. 
  • Drive any vehicle on grassed areas.
  • Play or amplify loud music or use loudspeakers.
  • Land hang gliders, helicopters, or parachutes.

Deposits and/or fees may be required.

  • Attendant/Custodian fees for use of recreation facilities. $20 per hour of use.
  • Processing Fee for fundraisers. Fee varies.
  • Fundraising Rental Fee. Fee varies.
  • Kitchen Use. $25 per day of use. 
  • First, call the park you wish to inquire about for availability.  Click here to view a list of contact information for staffed parks, or click here for a parks map with additional contact information. 
  • Next, complete and submit an Application for Use of Park Facilities form NO LATER THAN three weeks prior to the date you wish to use the facility. Make sure that the recreational director of that park has approved the activity you are requesting. The forms can be obtained at any park or at the Parks Permit Office at 650 South King Street, Honolulu, Hawaiʻi 96813 or by clicking on the links provided above and below. Their phone number is (808) 768-3440, and the weekday office hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.  (excluding weekends and holidays).
  • Park authorized requests requiring payment are processed by the Parks Permit Office. Checks should be made payable to the City and County of Honolulu. Payments are deposited into the City Treasury. Refunds of deposits will be mailed by City and County of Honolulu Treasury check to the party as noted on the park use permit. Deposits may be withheld due to damage, clean up, and trash related concerns. Please contact the corresponding park concerning a withheld deposit. 

Permits Office hours are Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The office is closed on weekends and in observance of State and Federal holidays. 

Shore Water Event Rules

The final adoption of Shore Water Event Rules followed several outreach and coordination efforts to balance the general public’s free access to ocean recreation, create equitable use of public resources for permitted events, broaden the types of events permitted and the user groups they serve, and improve DPR’s ability to manage these events and resources in conjunction with other government agencies. Those efforts included a public survey, event organizer meetings, input from the City’s Shore Water Advisory Group, Honolulu City Council coordination, and a public hearing on October 20, 2023. We appreciate the participation of all of the various stakeholders throughout this rule-revising and permitting process.

Film & Television Productions

Guidelines:

Utilizing City property on the island of O‘ahu for production purposes requires following health and safety guidelines taken from a deep dive into guidelines and best practices from around the world of the motion picture, television, and commercial production industries. The guidelines are a framework for set safety procedures, physical distancing, symptoms awareness, protective measures, and considerations for security, catering, and other standard departments on a typical set, and are designed to be complimentary to working protocols that unions and guilds are establishing.

Waikahalulu Falls in Liliuokalani Botanical Garden

Permitting Requirements

Productions will still be required to get the usual permits for city jurisdictions from the Honolulu Film Office, state permits from the Hawaii Film Office as they are allowed to issue, and the standard agreements usually obtained for filming on private property. Permitting services are conducted through the Honolulu Film Office will be in effect starting June 5. While a city permit is not required for private locations, we are requiring that productions register any activity with the Honolulu Film Office in case location information is ever needed.

If there are any questions regarding film and television production on O‘ahu, please contact the Honolulu Film Office by email at info@filmhonolulu.com.

For all other park permitting inquiries please call (808) 768-3440 during regular business hours. 

Contact Us

Permit Office

Fasi Municipal Building (FMB)
650 South King Street
Honolulu, HI  96813

Phone:  (808) 768-3440

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