Hawaii Self-Certification Program: How It Works and How to Stay on the Roster

What the SCP actually does

Under the standard permit path, DPP employs plan checkers who review submitted drawings for code compliance before issuing a permit. This takes time. The SCP bypasses that review: the certifying architect or engineer signs a declaration that the plans comply with all applicable codes and that the declaration is based on personal, professional review. DPP accepts the declaration and issues the permit — often within 1–3 business days of a complete submission rather than weeks.

The tradeoff is explicit. DPP is not checking your work. You are. If the permitted project turns out to be non-compliant — discovered during inspection, during an audit, or after construction — the consequences land on the certifying professional, not on DPP for missing it.

Eligibility requirements

To use the SCP, you must:

• Hold a current, active Hawaii professional license — architect (AIA), professional engineer (PE), landscape architect (LA), or land surveyor (LS) — in the discipline appropriate to the scope of the project.
• Be registered on DPP's SCP roster. Registration requires submitting an application to DPP with a copy of your current Hawaii license. Roster membership must be renewed when your license renews.
• Submit projects that fall within the program's scope. The SCP excludes certain project types by rule — review DPP's current SCP guidelines for the current exclusion list, as it is updated periodically.

Common project-type exclusions have historically included: high-rise buildings (over a certain story count), certain assembly occupancies, projects in high seismic design categories with specific structural systems, and projects requiring a Special Management Area (SMA) permit.

The audit program

DPP audits a percentage of SCP permits after issuance. The audit rate is not publicly published, and it varies. Audits are conducted by DPP plan checkers who review the permitted drawings for code compliance — the same review that would have happened under standard plan check.

If an audit finds deficiencies, DPP will issue findings to the certifying professional. The severity of the findings determines the response:

• Minor deficiencies — administrative items, missing notes, minor coordination issues — typically result in a correction letter. The professional responds, corrects the documents, and the matter is resolved.
• Substantive deficiencies — actual code violations that affect health, safety, or welfare — can trigger suspension from the SCP roster. Suspension means you cannot use the program until DPP reinstates you, which requires a formal process.
• Pattern violations — repeated deficiencies across multiple audited projects — can result in permanent removal from the roster.

SCP suspension is a matter of professional record. It can affect your ability to obtain E&O insurance and can be cited in DCCA licensing complaints.

What triggers audit findings most often

Based on the code sections most commonly cited in Honolulu plan check, the issues that appear in SCP audits mirror those that drive standard plan-check comments:

• Setback dimensions that do not match LUO minimums for the actual zoning district
• Height calculations that use the wrong baseline (lowest point rather than average grade at front setback)
• Lot coverage calculations that omit accessory structures or apply incorrect inclusion rules for covered-open elements
• General notes that cite the wrong code edition or are missing required declarations (occupancy, construction type, sprinkler determination)
• Energy compliance documentation that does not match the assemblies shown on the drawings

These are not obscure edge cases. They are routine items on a competent plan checker's list. The fact that they appear in audits means they were also missed during the certifying professional's own review — which is why an independent pre-submission check, whether by a colleague or an AI tool, adds real audit-risk reduction.

Best practices for SCP submissions

• Treat your own SCP submissions as if they will be audited. About 10–20% of submissions have historically been selected for audit. The probability is not negligible.
• Document your code research. Keep a project file that records each code check — the section, the requirement, and where on the drawings it is satisfied. If an auditor asks why you certified compliance, your answer should be documented, not recalled from memory.
• Run an independent check before certifying. The architect who drew the plans will read them with the same mental model used to create them. A second set of eyes — or a systematic AI review against the code corpus — catches different things.
• Watch for zoning district misidentification. A parcel that straddles a district boundary, or one whose zoning was recently changed, can be submitted under the wrong district rules. Verify the TMK and zoning designation against the current DPP GIS layer before finalizing the site data block.
• Flag SMA proximity early. If the project is within 300 feet of the shoreline, confirm SMA permit requirements before using the SCP. A project that needs an SMA permit cannot use the SCP for the building permit portion.