Hawaii Handyman License Requirements
Hawaii's small-job figure is $1,500. The exact wording below decides whether a job fits.
HRS 444-2(4): 'Any project or operation for which the aggregate contract price for labor and materials is not more than $1,500' (i.e., at or below $1,500). Not available where the job is part of a larger project or where a project is split into contracts of $1,500 or less to evade the chapter.
What counts toward it: labor+materials
"Any project or operation for which the aggregate contract price for labor and materials is not more than $1,500. This exemption shall not apply in any case where a building permit is required regardless of the aggregate contract price"
Source: capitol.hawaii.gov · checked November 2, 2026
Who regulates this
Contractors License Board, Professional and Vocational Licensing Division (PVL), Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs (DCCA)
Source: cca.hawaii.gov · checked November 2, 2026
Does Hawaii license general and residential work?
Hawaii licenses contractors statewide under HRS ch. 444 through the Contractors License Board (DCCA Professional and Vocational Licensing). Small jobs are exempt under HRS 444-2(4).
Source: cca.hawaii.gov · checked November 2, 2026
When a permit changes the answer
Yes. 'This exemption shall not apply in any case where a building permit is required regardless of the aggregate contract price.'
Source: capitol.hawaii.gov · checked November 2, 2026
Registration
No separate state handyman registration found. Licensed contractors renew by September 30 of every even-numbered year; on-time renewal is $338 for an active entity or sole proprietor and $208 for an RME, and requires a current DOTAX tax clearance.
Source: cca.hawaii.gov · checked November 2, 2026
What a handyman should charge in Hawaii
Statewide planning estimate: $85 to $117 an hour. It's an estimate from public data, not the market rate. City pages use local wages when we can match them.
| Step | Low end | High end |
|---|---|---|
| Your pay (employee wage for this work in Hawaii) | $57,960 median | $72,460 top quarter starts here |
| Overhead ($33,148 national, adjusted to local prices at 110.0) | $36,447 | $36,447 |
| Profit 15% + PTO 10% + warranty 3% + business taxes 12% | +40% | +40% |
| Yearly total to cover | $132,170 | $152,470 |
| Billed hours a year (hours on the job × 52) | 30 × 52 = 1,560 | 25 × 52 = 1,300 |
| Hourly rate | $85 | $117 |
- Wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, occupation 49-9071 Maintenance and Repair Workers, General, Hawaii (statewide figure, because we could not match a metro for this place). The top-quarter figure is in the BLS data file.
- Local prices: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024, Hawaii, all items index 110.0 (US = 100).
- Overhead, hours and percentages: median answers from members using our hourly rate calculator, the same formula that tool uses. National, not local.
Hawaii places we cover (13)
Rules change. This page shows what official sources said on the dates above. It is not legal advice.