In-person services resume today at Līhuʻe Civic Center

The County of Kauaʻi will resume in-person services at the Līhuʻe Civic Center on Monday, Sept. 28, following the Sept. 9 Kāpule Building fire.

While counters are reopening, County of Kauaʻi departments are still restoring computer systems, and some services may take longer than usual. Residents are encouraged to call or email the office before visiting to confirm the service they need is available and to avoid an unnecessary trip.

Online services through connect.kauai.gov are temporarily unavailable while County computer systems damaged in the fire are restored.

The Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) remains closed until further notice.

Līhuʻe Civic Center services and contacts

• Office of the Mayor: Moʻikeha Building, Suite 235. General inquiries and requests for the Mayor. (808) 241-4900 | mayor@kauai.gov
• Office of the County Attorney: Moʻikeha Building, Suite 220. General inquiries. The office does not provide legal advice to the public. (808) 241-4930 | cokcountyattorney@kauai.gov
• Department of Finance: Moʻikeha Building, Suite 280. General finance questions. (808) 241-4200 | finance@kauai.gov
• Division of Motor Vehicles: Mobile trailer in the Līhuʻe Civic Center parking lot and the Kapaʻa satellite DMV. General questions and vehicle registration renewals. (808) 241-1949 | kauaidmv@kauai.gov
• Real Property Division: Former Purchasing Office, Suite 303, across from the Kāpule Building. Exemption applications, property tax records and disaster relief claims: (808) 652-7490 | rpassessment@kauai.gov. Billing and collections: (808) 241-4272 | rpc@kauai.gov
• Housing Agency: Piʻikoi Building, Suite 330. Section 8 program clients and waitlist applicants: (808) 241-4440. Housing Development Division, including cesspool conversion, Homebuyer program and payments: (808) 241-4444. housing@kauai.gov
• Public Works Administration: Moʻikeha Building, Suite 275. (808) 241-4992 | publicworks@kauai.gov
• Building Division: Moʻikeha Building, Suite 175. Building permit status checks. (808) 241-4854 | building@kauai.gov
• Engineering Division: Moʻikeha Building, Suite 175. Plan approval status checks. (808) 241-4883 | pwengineering@kauai.gov
• Roads Division: Moʻikeha Building, Suite 255. Road and pothole reports by phone or email. (808) 241-4847 | pwroads@kauai.gov
• Solid Waste Division: Moʻikeha Building, Suite 295. Trash collection, refuse and recycling requests. (808) 241-4841 | solidwaste@kauai.gov
• Wastewater Management Division: [Location TBD]. Sewer billing and payments. (808) 241-5700 | pwww@kauai.gov
• Department of Parks and Recreation: Moʻikeha Building, Suite 105. (808) 241-4460 | parks@kauai.gov
• Parks Permit Section: Moʻikeha Building, Suite 150. (808) 241-4463 | recpermits@kauai.gov
• Planning Department: Building Division counter, Moʻikeha Building, Suite 175. New zoning permit applications, SMA assessment applications, review of pending permits and general questions. (808) 241-4050 | planningdepartment@kauai.gov
• Kauaʻi Fire Department: Piʻikoi Building, Suite 315. Fire prevention questions, education requests and fire reports. (808) 241-4980 | kfd@kauai.gov
• Department of Liquor Control: Moʻikeha Building, Suite 120. Liquor licensing and general questions. (808) 241-4966 | liquor@kauai.gov
• Human Resources: Moʻikeha Building, Suite 140. Job applications and general employment questions. (808) 241-4956 | humanresources@kauai.gov
• Agency on Elderly Affairs: Piʻikoi Building, Suite 330. Information and referral, nutrition, fitness, transportation and volunteer programs. (808) 241-4470 | elderlyaffairs@kauai.gov
• Office of Economic Development: Moʻikeha Building, Suite 200. Grant and business recovery questions, and the Kauaʻi Made program. (808) 241-4946 | oed@kauai.gov
• Office of Boards and Commissions: Piʻikoi Building, Suite 300. Board applications, complaints and meeting information. (808) 241-4917 | boardsandcommissions@kauai.gov

County of Kauaʻi Building Division

is also open to the public and processing permit applications starting Monday, Sept. 28 at the Piʻikoi Building. Staff are working on applications submitted before Hurricane Lowell and accepting new applications.

Depending on where an application is in the process, staff may accept payment and contact applicants when their permit is ready for pickup.

The County is also updating its guidance on Hurricane Lowell repairs to include properties in flood zones.  

Repairing storm damage

• If a home or building was built with a County building permit and is not in a flood zone, there is no need for a new building permit to make necessary repairs for Hurricane Lowell damage.
  • There is no fee, and no County inspections will be required. The work must still meet building codes. This includes building, electrical, plumbing, driveway and sign repairs.
  • Questions: building@kauai.gov or call the Building Division at 808-241-4854.
• Properties in a flood zone must contact the Department of Public Works Engineering Division at 808-241-4883 or pwengineering@kauai.gov before starting work. Each property is reviewed individually.
  • If there is an elevation certificate for a structure, include it, since County copies may not be available while systems are being restored.
  • Structures with substantial damage, meaning repair costs equal to 50 percent or more of the structure’s value, need a building permit and must be rebuilt to meet current flood standards.
  • Stockpiling debris within a regulatory floodway is prohibited at all times.
• Properties near the shoreline repairs require a Special Management Area assessment determination before work begins. Work done without one may be subject to violations.
  • The same 50 percent substantial damage standard applies.
  • Contact the Planning Department at planningdepartment@kauai.gov.
• Property owners who would like an inspection of their storm repairs may contact the Building Division for more information.

Pending and new permit applications

• The Building Division counter is at 4444 Rice St., Suite 175, in Līhuʻe, open from 7:45 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays. Planning staff are also available at the counter for zoning permit questions.
• Applications already in the system will continue to be reviewed in the order they were received. Storm repairs covered by the emergency order do not go through the permit process and will not delay pending applications.
• The online permit status lookup, Click2Gov, is not available. Call the Building Division at 808-241-4854 or email building@kauai.gov for an update.

Answers to common permit questions are available at www.kauairecovers.org.

Other County services (not at the Līhuʻe Civic Center)

• Council Services Division, Office of the County Clerk: Historic County Building, 4396 Rice Street, Suite 209. Council meetings, agendas, and public testimony. (808) 241-4188 | cokcouncil@kauai.gov
• Elections Division, Office of the County Clerk: Historic County Annex Building, 4386 Rice Street, Suite 106. Voter registration and election information. (808) 241-4800 | elections@kauai.gov
• Kauaʻi Emergency Management Agency: 3990 Kaʻana Street, Suite 100. Emergency preparedness and alert sign-up assistance. (808) 241-1800 | kema@kauai.gov
• Kauaʻi Police Department: 3990 Kaʻana Street, Suite 200. Non-emergency reports and police records. For emergencies, call 911. (808) 241-1711 | kpdrecords@kauai.gov
• Office of the Prosecuting Attorney: 3990 Kaʻana Street, Suite 210. Criminal matters and general questions. (808) 241-1888 | prosecutor@kauai.gov
• Transportation Agency (Kauaʻi Bus): General information, paratransit services, fixed route services, bus pass and fare. (808) 246-8110 | thekauaibus@kauai.gov

For the quickest response, callers are encouraged to speak with a live person rather than leave a voicemail. For more information, contact the Office of the Mayor at (808) 241-4900 or mayor@kauai.gov.