What can a handyman do in Urban Honolulu, HI?
Hawaii's small-job figure is $1,500. The exact wording below decides whether a job fits.
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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
What Urban Honolulu adds
In Honolulu, painting, cabinet work, floor covering and replacement of windows or doors are on the city's list of work exempt from a building permit. Electrical or plumbing repair is exempt only when done by a licensed contractor and not over $2,500 in any 12-month period.
Source: honolulu.gov · checked November 5, 2026
Local business license
Depends
- Name: City and County of Honolulu Business License (listed types); State of Hawaii General Excise Tax License
- Applies when: City types listed include auctioneer, firearms, peddler, pawn broker, scrap dealer and secondhand dealer. Peddler covers selling goods or services, so door-to-door selling may fall under it.
- Trigger: Receiving income from business activity in Hawaii (state license)
- Office: City: Business License Section, Kapalama Driver Licensing Center, Window #17, 925 Dillingham Blvd., (808) 768-9700. State: Hawaii Department of Taxation
"For information and a downloadable application packet for the specific business license you are interested in, click on one of the links below."
Source: honolulu.gov · honolulu.gov · checked November 5, 2026
Local contractor or handyman license
None found on official sources
- Applies when: Local license only. State contractor licensing still applies. The state exemption amount is left out here: the state's posted copy of HRS 444-2 reads $1,000, while unofficial leads say $1,500, so it needs a separate check.
"Any project or operation for which the aggregate contract price for labor, materials, taxes, and all other items is not more than $1,000."
Source: files.hawaii.gov · honolulu.gov · checked November 5, 2026
Jobs a handyman usually takes
Examples of everyday jobs that stay inside a small-job rule when the whole job fits the wording above. This is an example list, not a legal one:
- Mounting TVs, shelves, mirrors and pictures
- Assembling furniture and flat-pack cabinets
- Patching drywall and interior painting
- Caulking, weatherstripping and sealing
- Repairing doors, locks, screens and windows
- Basic carpentry, trim and small repairs
- Pressure washing and gutter cleaning
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
Nearby places
Rules change. This page shows what official sources said on the dates above. It is not legal advice, so confirm with the office named before you take the job.
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