Hawaii Painting License Requirements (2026)

Hawaii’s statewide specialty classification for painting is C-33, Painting and Decorating Contractor. A contracting business needs a Hawaii Contractors License Board license in the appropriate classification and, for an entity, a principal Responsible Managing Employee (RME). The RME path requires four years of qualifying supervisory experience in the requested classification within the preceding 10 years and Board-approved examination(s). C-33 licensure does not replace county permits, nor does it replace federal lead-safety requirements for covered pre-1978 renovation, repair, or painting work.

Regulatory Body

Licensing for this trade is governed by Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs — Professional and Vocational Licensing Division, Contractors License Board (DCCA-PVL), the agency that issues and regulates the credential under Hawaii Revised Statutes Chapter 444; Hawaii Administrative Rules Title 16 Chapter 77. The Contractors License Board licenses Class A General Engineering, Class B General Building, and Class C Specialty contractors statewide. The DCCA-PVL Board of Electricians and Plumbers separately licenses individual electricians and plumbers.

• Official portal: https://cca.hawaii.gov/pvl/boards/contractor/
• Address: King Kalakaua Building, 335 Merchant Street, Room 301, Honolulu, HI 96813
• Phone: (808) 586-3000

Eligibility Requirements

Applicants must be at least 18 years old. Applicants must provide a Social Security Number. The Board’s current materials do not state a residency requirement, but a licensed contractor must maintain a definite Hawaii place of business for service of legal process; a post-office box is not accepted as that location.

Good moral character

The current RME application requires a reputation for honesty, truthfulness, financial integrity, and fair dealing.

Background investigation

The application requests prior licensing and disciplinary history. Confirm the current application rather than assuming a separate universal criminal-background check.

Experience and Education

The experience bar is 4 years of The RME needs four years of supervisory experience in painting/decorating work within the 10 years immediately before filing. The Board evaluates on-site supervision and direction of employees; design, material ordering, and downtime are not counted as supervisory time., and it must be backed by verifiable records — typically payroll, tax, project, or supervisor documentation covering the claimed period.

Accepted proof of experience or eligibility

• At least three notarized experience certificates
• Chronological History of Projects (project list) for the requested classification
• Current credit report and entity-appointment documents when applying as an RME for an entity

Education substitution

Certain technical training may be accepted, but the Board’s current RME form limits training credit to no more than one year.

Exam Requirements

Testing provider or authority: PSI Services, LLC, after Contractors License Board approval.. The following examination requirements cover the pathways described in this guide; follow each part's classification, waiver, and local-scope conditions. Unpublished format details do not remove an examination requirement:

• Board-approved contractor examination(s) for the C-33 classification — question count: confirm with the authority, timing: confirm with the authority, passing score: confirm in the current candidate bulletin

Examination fee: The Board charges a $50 nonrefundable application fee. Confirm PSI’s current C-33 examination fee, format, and content in the Hawaii contractor candidate bulletin after Board approval.

Retake policy: Applicants must pass within six months after becoming eligible to test or reapply. The overall application is abandoned if not completed within one year.

Insurance and Bonds

No statewide contractor license surety bond is required for this credential in the cited sources. Project-specific, permit, or public-works bonds may still apply, so confirm bonding before bidding a given job.

General liability

The current Board application calls for comprehensive liability coverage of at least $100,000 bodily injury per person, $300,000 per occurrence, and $50,000 property damage per occurrence.

Workers' compensation

A licensed contractor must maintain workers’ compensation unless authorized to self-insure or excluded under chapter 386. The Board publishes limited no-employee exclusion paths for certain entities and sole proprietors; confirm the right form for the business.

Additional financial requirements

The entity application requires a current compiled, reviewed, or audited financial statement with an independent accountant’s report. Requirements differ by applicant type.

Fee Schedule

To turn these board fees into a realistic year-one budget — bond premium, liability insurance, and exam prep included — open the cost calculator preloaded for Hawaii painting.

Renewal and Continuing Education

The Hawaii C-33 Painting and Decorating Contractor License runs on a 2 years renewal cycle. The current renewal fee is $338. Renew by September 30 of each even-numbered year. Current active entity/sole-proprietor renewal is $338; current active RME renewal is $208. Maintain coverage and the entity-RME relationship.

Continuing education: The current Contractors License Board renewal information does not list a continuing-education requirement for ordinary C-33 contractor renewal.

Reciprocity

For this classification, Hawaii does not recognize the NASCLA Accredited Examination.

The ordinary Hawaii C-33 application uses Hawaii Board review, experience verification, and the applicable examination. Hawaii’s emergency-licensure statute is not ordinary reciprocity.

Weighing more than one jurisdiction? The national hub compares published Painting license requirements by state — exam, bond, fee, and experience thresholds side by side.

Painting Licensing in Other States

Contractors working near a state line, or weighing where to qualify first, should compare Hawaii's requirements against the states most often compared against it before committing to an application:

• California Painting License Requirements — California Class C-33 — Painting and Decorating Contractor
• Washington Painting License Requirements — Washington Specialty Contractor Registration (Painting) — L&I
• Oregon Painting License Requirements — Oregon CCB Construction Contractor License — Appropriate Endorsement
• Nevada Painting License Requirements — Nevada C-4a Painting Contractor License

Step-by-Step Application Roadmap

1. Confirm C-33 is the project classification. C-33 is Painting and Decorating Contractor. Confirm with the Board if the project includes work governed by another specialty classification.
2. Designate the qualifying individual. An entity needs a principal RME. The RME must be at least 18, have four years of C-33 supervisory experience within the past 10 years, and be employed by the licensed entity.
3. Prepare the Board package. Submit the $50 application fee, experience certificates, project list, credit report, and applicable entity, tax-clearance, and financial documents. The selected entity, sole-owner, or RME application controls the exact documents.
4. Obtain Board approval and test with PSI. The Board must approve examination eligibility first. Use PSI’s current Hawaii contractor bulletin for the exact C-33 exams, fee, format, and scheduling.
5. File coverage and any Board-required bond. File the required liability and workers’ compensation evidence. The Board may require a specialty-contractor bond of not less than $5,000; that statute is not a blanket $5,000 first-time bond requirement.
6. Screen pre-1978 projects for federal lead rules. Hawaii is not an EPA-authorized RRP state. For covered paid renovation, repair, or painting in pre-1978 housing or child-occupied facilities, follow EPA RRP firm, renovator, work-practice, notification, and recordkeeping requirements.
7. Obtain county approvals. The county authority having jurisdiction controls project permits, plans, and inspections. For example, Honolulu DPP requires contractors involved in permit work to hold the applicable Hawaii license; check the particular island and scope.

Application Checklist

Before submitting to DCCA-PVL, the applicant should have each of the following ready:

• C-33 classification review
• Qualifying RME or sole-owner application path
• Four years of documented supervisory painting experience
• Three notarized experience certificates and C-33 project list
• $50 Board application fee
• Board approval followed by current PSI examination(s)
• Required liability and workers’ compensation evidence
• Financial/tax/entity documents for the selected application type
• EPA RRP review for covered pre-1978 projects
• County permit and inspection check

Progress is saved in this browser, so you can return to this checklist while your application is in flight.

Common Filing Mistakes

The following pitfalls summarize the issues most likely to delay, return, or derail a Hawaii Painting application based on the published board instructions and source materials cited on this page.

Using the wrong classification

C-33 is painting and decorating. C-52 is ventilating and air conditioning, so it is not a painting credential.

Counting nonsupervisory work toward the RME requirement

The Board evaluates on-site supervision and direction of employees, not design, material ordering, or downtime.

Assuming a fixed $5,000 bond is universally required

The Board may impose a specialty-contractor bond of at least $5,000, but its current first-time application does not list a universal bond amount.

Treating contractor licensing as EPA RRP compliance

C-33 licensure does not replace federal RRP certification and work practices when the pre-1978 rule applies.

Skipping county review

State contractor licensure does not replace county plan review, permits, or inspections for the actual project.

Study and Reference Materials

The list below collects the board's cited references and the materials applicants typically study from. CLR is not paid to recommend any of them.

• Hawaii contractor license classifications — DCCA Contractors License Board. Primary source confirming C-33 as Painting and Decorating Contractor.
• Contractor RME application requirements — DCCA Contractors License Board. Primary experience, documentation, and licensing-process source.
• EPA Renovation, Repair and Painting Program — U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Federal RRP requirements for covered paid renovation, repair, and painting work in Hawaii.

Other Hawaii Trade Licenses

CLR maintains guides for additional Hawaii trades; the published ones are listed here:

• Hawaii General Contractor License Requirements
• Hawaii Electrician License Requirements
• Hawaii Plumber License Requirements
• Hawaii HVAC Technician License Requirements
• Hawaii Roofing Contractor License Requirements
• Hawaii Landscaping Contractor License Requirements
• Hawaii Masonry Contractor License Requirements
• Hawaii Concrete Contractor License Requirements
• Hawaii Carpentry Contractor License Requirements
• Hawaii Solar Installer License Requirements
• Hawaii Low-Voltage Technician License Requirements
• Hawaii Fire Sprinkler Contractor License Requirements
• Hawaii Home Inspector License Requirements
• Hawaii Pool Contractor License Requirements
• Hawaii Handyman License Requirements
• Hawaii Pest Control License Requirements
• Hawaii Septic Contractor License Requirements

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Hawaii’s painting contractor classification?

C-33, Painting and Decorating Contractor. It is not C-52, which is the ventilating and air-conditioning contractor classification.

How much experience does a C-33 qualifier need?

A qualifying RME needs four years of supervisory C-33 experience within the previous 10 years, supported by at least three notarized experience certificates and a project list.

Is a Hawaii C-33 license a federal lead-paint credential?

No. A C-33 license is separate from EPA RRP. Hawaii painting work that triggers the federal pre-1978 RRP rule must follow EPA’s separate firm and renovator requirements.

Is a $5,000 contractor bond always required?

No blanket first-time bond amount is listed in the current Board application. State law authorizes the Board to require a specialty-contractor bond of at least $5,000, so confirm any individual Board condition.

When does a Hawaii C-33 license renew?

Contractor licenses renew by September 30 of each even-numbered year. Current active contractor entity/sole-proprietor renewal is $338; an RME is renewed separately when applicable.

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