Permitting
Average permit times near 300 days are a shared crisis — candidates agree the system is broken, then diverge on what failed and how to fix it.
Rare area of agreement across the field: Maui’s average permit time — reported near 300 days, among the longest in the state — is unsustainable for housing and recovery. Candidates differ on deadlines, self-certification, and template-based approvals.
Use the cards below for each candidate’s framing.
Where leading candidates stand
Richard T. Bissen Jr.
Clear the backlogHow they frame the problem
A multi-year DSA backlog (400+ active reviews at the peak cited by the administration) choked housing and recovery. The core failure was operational capacity and queue management inside county review.
What they say should happen
Continue DSA reform after cutting the active backlog (administration cites 400+ → 51); keep clearing reviews so housing, rebuilds, and commercial work move without abandoning quality and safety standards.
Summarized from administration track-record claims. Contested whether remaining delays meet community expectations for recovery speed.
Yuki Lei Sugimura
Self-certify in 60 days“Policy alone doesn't build homes. Pipes, permits and pavement do.”
How they frame the problem
Average permit times near 300 days — among the longest in the state — prove the county process itself is the bottleneck. Waiting for discretionary approval indefinitely is how housing and infrastructure stall.
What they say should happen
Self-certification — construction may begin if a permit is not approved within 60 days — so “pipes, permits, and pavement” become enforceable timelines, not slogans.
Summarized from campaign platform and council framing in local coverage and the research brief.
P. Denise La Costa
30-day public clockHow they frame the problem
Opaque, open-ended county clocks hide bottlenecks and punish fire-impacted rebuilds and housing with fees and delay. Without a public dashboard, nobody can see where files stall.
What they say should happen
30-day county-controlled clock with a public dashboard naming bottlenecks; pre-approved commercial shells/pattern books for Lahaina; zero county fees for fire-impacted rebuilds; fast-track substantially compliant housing developments (La Costa Cures / Homes Together).
Campaign positions from mayorlacosta2026.com/la-costa-cures and homes-together. Timelines are campaign proposals, not current county code.