Hawaii — electrical code & licensing
Partially verified
The code
| Edition in force | 2020 NEC (NFPA 70) - Hawaii State Electrical Code, adopted by the State Building Code Council under HRS 107-24 |
| Edition structure | One statewide edition |
| State code | Hawaii State Electrical Code |
| Effective date | 2022-03-15 |
| Date as recorded | 2022-03-15 (state adoption); state building design compliance required by 2023-03-14 (HRS 107-27); county adoption deadline 2024-03-14, after which the state code applies as an interim county electrical code (HRS 107-28) |
| Adopted by | State Building Code Council, Department of Accounting and General Services |
| Adoption source | https://ags.hawaii.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/StateElectricalCode_03152022.pdf |
| State amendments | Amendments ride in the adoption document itself — https://ags.hawaii.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/StateElectricalCode_03152022.pdf |
Licensing
| Model | State licensing in two boards: the Board of Electricians and Plumbers (DCCA, Professional and Vocational Licensing) licenses individual electricians under HRS ch. 448E; electrical contractors are licensed separately by the Contractors License Board under HRS ch. 444 |
| Authority | Board of Electricians and Plumbers, Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs (DCCA), Professional and Vocational Licensing Division |
| Licensing source | https://cca.hawaii.gov/rico/the-regulated-industries/ |
Permits & inspections
Not yet recorded.
Things to watch for
- This record is partially verified. Still open: License classes unconfirmed: the PVL board pages don't state the HRS 448E class list in fetchable text and the statute host refused the fetch route. The permit/inspection note is unwritten — permits are county-level and no official state page stating the structure was opened.
How this record was verified
| Adoption | Verified |
| Amendments | Verified |
| Licensing | Partially verified |
| Permits & inspections | Partially verified |
Which edition applies where
| state building design compliance | 2020 NEC
State adoption 2022-03-15; state building design compliance required by 2023-03-14 per the landed row; county adoption follows the staged cascade in the row's notes. |
Working notes
Adoption verified firsthand in the Council official adoption document (letter dated 2022-03-31 transmitting the Hawaii State Electrical Code, effective 2022-03-15): the Council adopted the 2020 NFPA NEC on 2022-03-15; the same document carries the state amendments to the 2020 NEC (amendments_url is the same document). CONFLICT FLAGGED - DO NOT SMOOTH: the Council Building Code Rules page (https://ags.hawaii.gov/bcc/building-code-rules/) still lists State Electric Code - 2018 NFPA 70 among current state building codes; that page appears stale against the 2022 adoption and is flagged for QA. The same page notes the Governor 15th Emergency Proclamation Relating to Affordable Housing (signed 2025-09-23) temporarily suspends HRS 107-24(c), 107-27(a), 107-28 (the two-year county adoption deadline) and 107-31 in part; counties may still update county codes. Individual license classes named in Board of Electricians and Plumbers minutes include Journey Worker Electrician (EJ), Journey Worker Industrial (EJI), Journey Worker Specialty (EJS), Supervising Electrician (ES), Supervising Industrial (ESI), Supervising Specialty (ESS) and Maintenance Electrician (EM) - a clean official classes page was not captured verbatim, so license_classes_url is blank. Permits/inspections are administered at county level under the state code framework; no state-level permit regime was established. E-WIRING-READINESS (2026-10-26): completion attempted - license classes still unconfirmed: the DCCA/PVL Board of Electricians and Plumbers pages do not state the HRS 448E class list in fetchable text, and the official statute host (capitol.hawaii.gov) refused the curl route (Cloudflare block, not retried). license_classes_url and permit_inspection_notes stay blank; permits in Hawaii are county-level and no official state page stating the structure was opened.
Reference only. Compiled from the cited official sources as of the date shown; adoptions and rules change. Confirm with the authority having jurisdiction before designing or permitting work.