The Hawaiʻi Interim Housing Program (HIHP) assists those displaced by the Maui wildfires by placing survivor households in temporary state-sponsored housing. The program is administered by the Hawaiʻi Office of Recovery and Resiliency (HORR) in collaboration with the State of Hawaiʻi’s Department of Human Services (DHS) and Hawaiʻi Housing Finance and Development Corporation (HHFDC).  HIHP includes all State of Hawaiʻi interim housing sites related to DR-4724-HI Maui Wildfires recovery, including Hale ‘O Lā‛ie, formerly the Haggai Institute in Kīhei, and Ka Laʻi Ola in West Maui.

You can apply by visiting this page or calling 1-808-727-1550 and completing the questions for your household. You will be required to register an account online with a valid email address to receive program updates and to provide required documentation. If you do not have an email address, you may call our contact center at 1-808-727-1550 for them to help create one for you.  

If you have previously applied for assistance with FEMA or American Red Cross, some of your information may already be pre-populated in the application. Please review all information and complete any missing fields. When your application is complete, a member of the HIHP team will contact you to discuss the next steps.  

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You may be eligible for HIHP if:

• You lived in Maui County prior to the disaster.  
• You are displaced from your residence due to the Maui Wildfires, or…
• You faced disaster-related unemployment that resulted in the loss of your home.

Applicants to HIHP may be asked to provide the following documentation:  

• Proof of identity. This documentation does NOT have to indicate citizenship status.
• Proof of pre-disaster residency within Maui County.
• Proof of income loss and inability to pay rent or mortgage.
• Documentation of any other assistance you may have received related to the Maui Fires.

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Households who need help applying to HIHP, including those with limited English proficiency, can contact the Call Center at 1-808-727-1550 for assistance.  

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The County is developing a separate process to streamline the building permits for emergency reconstruction. Updates regarding this process will be provided on the mauirecovers.org website.

This new process will differ from the regular permitting process and will be expedited.

There are no restrictions regarding building permit application submittal so you can apply now. The department will prioritize review of applications from fire damaged parcels, however these applications will be processed under the regular permitting process. It is advised that applications be submitted once the permit process for emergency reconstruction is established.

Building permits issued in 2021 and 2022 had an average time of just over 300 days from application to issuance, however the County is working on ways to streamline the building permitting process and updates to this process will be provided on the mauirecovers.org website. Please be aware that per Ordinance 5562, permitted work can proceed only after fire debris removal has been completed.

Currently there is nothing in place that waives any fees associated with a building permit.

The County is looking at various options for temporary structures and updates will be provided on the mauirecovers.org website. Please be aware that even if and when a process is developed, the parcel will not be buildable until fire debris removal has been completed.

The permit application will continue to be reviewed, however per Ordinance 5562, the building permit will not be issued until fire debris removal has been completed for the parcel.

The permit application should be withdrawn and a new permit will need to be applied for. TheCounty is working on ways to streamline the building permitting process. Updated information will be provided on the mauirecovers.org website.

• If no review done, then 50% refund of review fee can be requested.

If the permit is still valid, and owner plans to rebuild per the approved plans, work can continue after fire debris removal has been completed for the parcel and the parcel is located in a zone that has been cleared to be re-occupied.

If the permit is still valid, work can continue after authorized fire debris removal has been completed for the parcel and if the parcel is located in a zone that has been cleared to be re-occupied.

The permit should be withdrawn and another permit should be applied for. The County is working on ways to streamline the building permitting process and updated information will be provided on the mauirecovers.org website.

Bill 21 (2024) was passed by the Maui County Council on March 8th, 2024, establishing a new emergency permitting process that streamlines permit applications for permanent construction by consolidating building, grading, driveway, plumbing and electrical permits. The new process provides residential property owners with more flexibility by allowing the rebuilt structures to change in size and configuration from what existed previously. The new process also supports the County’s effort to facilitate more housing by allowing affected parcels to construct new permanent structures as part of their rebuilds.

The County has been working to configure this new procedure into MAPPS and anticipates being able to receive applications under the new emergency permitting process for permanent construction by the end of April 2024.

1. Enroll for debris removal. Ordinance 5562 prohibits permit issuance until debris removal is properly completed. The most expeditious way to properly complete debris removal is by applying for a Right-of-Entry permit. The alternate debris removal program is still being developed and is not available at this time.

2. Hire a design professional and begin designing your home. The first step in the permit process is completing the design of your house. Designs must be prepared by an architect or structural engineer licensed in the State of Hawaii. If you need assistance in connecting with an architect, below is a link to the Maui AIA (American Institute of Architects) Chapter.

Connect with an architect

3. Research land use requirements that may affect the design of your home. Your design professional can assist you in understanding the requirements based on your land use zoning and how the requirement may affect your design.

4. Once your design professional has completed building plans for your home, you may apply for a rebuild permit. As noted in A1 above, the new emergency permitting process is anticipated to be available in April 2024. In the meantime, you may apply for a rebuild permit under the normal building permit process but will not receive the same level of expediency and prioritization as those applications submitted under the new emergency permitting process.Property owners who apply under the normal building permit process will have to reapply under the new emergency permitting process if they want to utilize the expedited process.

Once debris removal is properly completed and permits have been obtained, then rebuilding of your home can begin.

It is anticipated the County’s outside vendor will be operational by the end of April 2024. The vendor will be utilized to review permanent permits for parcels within the burned zones received under the new emergency permitting process and the normal building permit process.

If your parcel is within the burned zoned and your permit is to construct a permanent dwelling, you may use the new emergency permitting process.

The answer is yes, if your building permit was issued on or after August 8, 2018. You still need to apply for a building permit to rebuild but can use your previously approved plans. Reuse of previously approved plans requires authorization from your design professional. Please be aware that applicants will be responsible for any and all applicable permitting fees.