Permits: Honolulu, HI

Running a vendor market in Honolulu.

To run a vendor market in Honolulu, the organizer needs a Parks and Recreation park use permit on city parkland or a Department of Transportation Services street usage permit for streets. Vendors need a Hawaii general excise tax license from the Department of Taxation, and food vendors need a Department of Health special event food permit. Confirm with each office.

Updated October 10, 2026

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For the organizer

Event permit.

Street usage permit for special events and parades

The department lists sample parade, special event and street usage applications for information only; the actual forms must be picked up in person at the Frank F. Fasi Municipal Building, 650 South King Street, Second Floor. The page does not state fees, insurance or lead times.

Who: Organizer
From: City and County of Honolulu Department of Transportation Services
When: Special events and parades that use city streets.

Official page

For the organizer

Parks and public space.

Park use permit

Organizers confirm availability with the park, get park director approval and submit liability insurance documentation. The permit terms prohibit charging admission or selling goods and services unless the department gives prior written permission, and the form has a separate commercial fee line.

Who: Organizer
From: Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation, Permits Office
When: Events in city parks, including tournaments, picnics of 50 or more people, large inflatables, amplified music and use of recreation facilities.
Fee: Attendant or custodian services $25 per hour; kitchen use $25 per day; fundraiser fees vary
Timing: Application must be received three weeks before the event

Official page

For your vendors

Vendor and business licenses.

Peddler license

Peddler licenses are among the business licenses issued by the Department of Customer Services at the Kapalama Driver Licensing Center, Window 17 (808-768-9700). The page does not state fees or say whether vendors at a market or event need one, so confirm with the department.

Who: Vendors
From: City and County of Honolulu Department of Customer Services
When: Street sales of goods or services. The city lists peddler categories for merchandise, parades and fee-exempt peddlers.

Official page

For your vendors

Sales tax.

General excise tax (GET) license

Vendors register once through Hawaii Tax Online or Form BB-1 and file periodic returns. The general rate is 4%, plus a 0.5% Oahu county surcharge through December 31, 2030, so vendors may pass on up to 4.712%. The pages read do not describe a temporary or event-only license.

Who: Vendors
From: Hawaii Department of Taxation
When: Anyone who receives income from business activities in Hawaii, including retailing. Hawaii taxes the business rather than the customer.
Fee: $20 one-time registration fee

Official page

For your vendors

Food vendors.

Special event food establishment permit

Each permit covers one booth at one location and must be at the booth. The Department of Health approves the menu and setup; applications go to the Food Safety Branch in Aiea on Oahu. Youth groups, religious groups and other charitable organizations pay no fee.

Who: Vendors
From: Hawaii Department of Health, Food Safety Branch
When: Food distributed to the public at a special event on public or private property, such as a farmers market, fair or carnival. Prepackaged non-potentially hazardous foods and homemade food products sold directly to consumers need no permit.
Fee: $50 (1 to 5 days), $75 (6 to 10 days), $100 (11 to 20 days); non-refundable; $0 for charitable and similar organizations
Timing: Submit the application and fee ten working days before the event (the instructions page also says ten days)

Official page

Timeline

When to apply.

Park use permit: Application must be received three weeks before the event
Special event food establishment permit: Submit the application and fee ten working days before the event (the instructions page also says ten days)

On bzar

Collect the paperwork with each application.

Ask vendors for their sales tax registration, business license, food permit and insurance certificate as required documents on your application form, so you can check them before you approve anyone. Booth fees, tickets and day-of check-in run from the same dashboard.

For vendors

Selling at markets in Honolulu, HI?

The vendor license, sales tax and food permits above are yours to get before the event; the organizer will usually ask for copies with your application. On bzar you apply to markets and pay booth fees by card in one place, and keep your licenses, permits and insurance certificates on file to reuse on every application. Free for vendors. Join bzar free or read how to become a market vendor.

Check with the agency

Where the sources are unclear.

The Honolulu Department of Transportation Services pages say forms are issued in person and publish no fee, insurance or lead time for special event street permits; call 808-768-8387.
The Department of Taxation pages read do not mention craft fairs, events or promoters. No promoter or organizer duty regarding vendor taxes was found for Hawaii.
The City and County of Honolulu business license page does not say whether a general business license is a city or state matter; the state general excise tax license is the main registration found.
The Department of Health Oahu application form lists a ten working day lead time while its instructions say ten days; no event coordinator duty beyond naming the coordinator on the form was read.
No Honolulu fire department tent or permit page was found for events.

Questions

Common questions.

Do I need a permit to host a vendor market in Honolulu?

Street usage permit for special events and parades (City and County of Honolulu Department of Transportation Services): The department lists sample parade, special event and street usage applications for information only; the actual forms must be picked up in person at the Frank F. Fasi Municipal Building, 650 South King Street, Second Floor. The page does not state fees, insurance or lead times. Park use permit (Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation, Permits Office): Organizers confirm availability with the park, get park director approval and submit liability insurance documentation. The permit terms prohibit charging admission or selling goods and services unless the department gives prior written permission, and the form has a separate commercial fee line.

Do vendors need a license to sell at events in Honolulu?

Peddler license (City and County of Honolulu Department of Customer Services): Peddler licenses are among the business licenses issued by the Department of Customer Services at the Kapalama Driver Licensing Center, Window 17 (808-768-9700). The page does not state fees or say whether vendors at a market or event need one, so confirm with the department.

Who handles sales tax at a market in Honolulu?

General excise tax (GET) license (Hawaii Department of Taxation): Vendors register once through Hawaii Tax Online or Form BB-1 and file periodic returns. The general rate is 4%, plus a 0.5% Oahu county surcharge through December 31, 2030, so vendors may pass on up to 4.712%. The pages read do not describe a temporary or event-only license.

Do food vendors need a separate permit in Honolulu?

Special event food establishment permit (Hawaii Department of Health, Food Safety Branch): Each permit covers one booth at one location and must be at the booth. The Department of Health approves the menu and setup; applications go to the Food Safety Branch in Aiea on Oahu. Youth groups, religious groups and other charitable organizations pay no fee.

How far ahead should I apply in Honolulu?

Park use permit: Application must be received three weeks before the event Special event food establishment permit: Submit the application and fee ten working days before the event (the instructions page also says ten days)

Keep reading.

Hawaii state rules: sales tax and cottage foodPermit checklist for HonoluluWhat event permits cost across US citiesCollecting vendor insurance and permitsHow to host a vendor eventVendor application form template

Sources

Sources.

This page summarizes official government sources and isn't legal or tax advice. Rules, fees and forms change; confirm with each agency before you apply.

Special events contact: Honolulu Park Permit Office, 808-768-3440; Transportation Services street usage, 808-768-8387

Every fact on this page comes from these official pages, checked on 2026-10-10. Details change; tell us at hello@bzar.app if something here is out of date.

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