Hawaii Solar License Requirements (2026)

Hawaii’s C-60 Solar power systems contractor classification authorizes assembly and installation of photovoltaic panels, batteries, controls, and related low-voltage DC wiring. It is a statewide DCCA Contractors License Board credential, not a utility certificate or county permit. The chapter 444 license exemption is limited to work at no more than $1,500 aggregate labor and materials and does not apply when a building, electrical, or plumbing permit is required or when work is divided to evade licensing. Electrical work, particularly service/interconnection work and work outside the C-60 scope, must be evaluated under the electrical-contractor and electrician rules. Solar thermal work is addressed by the separate C-61, C-61a, and C-61b classifications. County permitting and the serving utility’s interconnection review are additional project steps.

Regulatory Body

Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Contractors License Board (DCCA CLB) administers the credential or scope-specific rules discussed here under HRS ch. 444; HAR ch. 16-77. Whether that pathway applies depends on the work scope and conditions explained below. CLB licenses C-60 Solar power systems contractors. County authorities handle permits and inspections; the serving utility controls interconnection applications and technical approval.

• Official portal: https://cca.hawaii.gov/pvl/boards/contractor/
• Address: 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 cited CLB requirements do not impose a solar-contractor residency bar. Entity applicants must meet the applicable Hawaii business-registration and responsible-managing-employee requirements.

Good moral character

CLB requires a reputation for honesty, truthfulness, financial integrity, and fair dealing. Complete the current disclosure questions and supply requested explanations.

Background investigation

The application requires disclosure information, but the cited materials do not establish a blanket fingerprint requirement or a universal criminal-background-check procedure.

Experience and Education

Eligibility requires Four years of supervisory experience in the requested C-60 classification within the preceding ten years. The Board recognizes supervisory work at the journeyman, foreman, supervisor, or contractor level and requires on-site supervision/direction of employees., documented and independently verifiable. Payroll, tax, project, and supervisor records are the usual proof the board will accept.

Accepted proof of experience or eligibility

• Current CLB application and tax clearance
• At least three notarized experience certificates from qualified people with direct knowledge
• Chronological History of Projects for C-60 supervisory experience
• Financial statement and credit report required by the current application
• Entity/RME appointment and Hawaii business-registration documents when applicable

Education substitution

NABCEP and other training may be professionally valuable, but the cited state materials do not state that they replace the four-year C-60 supervisory-experience requirement. Ask CLB before relying on a substitution.

Exam Requirements

The examination requirement has not been established in this record. Confirm it with the authority before applying. Provider or process notes: PSI Services, LLC, after CLB approval

Examination fee: CLB requires an examination in the appropriate classification and uses PSI. PSI sets current examination and retest prices; do not use the former Prometric, fixed question-count, passing-score, or $75-per-part claims without the current PSI bulletin.

Retake policy: A new application is required if the applicant does not pass within six months after becoming eligible to test. The application process is subject to the one-year abandonment rule.

Insurance and Bonds

The cited state source set does not require a contractor license surety bond for this credential. Contractors should still confirm project-specific bond, permit-bond, or public-works bond requirements before bidding.

General liability

Active contractors must continuously maintain comprehensive personal-injury and property-damage liability coverage. The cited materials do not set a universal C-60 dollar minimum.

Workers' compensation

Active contractors must maintain workers’ compensation unless they are authorized self-insurers or have an approved Chapter 386 exclusion. A lapse in required insurance causes automatic forfeiture.

Additional financial requirements

The current application requires a financial statement and credit report. A bond is only required when imposed by CLB under HRS § 444-16.5; no blanket C-60 bond amount is established by the cited sources.

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 solar.

Renewal and Continuing Education

Renewal of the Hawaii C-60 Solar Power Systems Contractor License comes due every 2 years. As cited, the renewal fee stands at $338. Renew by September 30 of every even-numbered year. Active entity/sole-proprietor renewal is currently $338, and RME/inactive fees differ. Current matching DOTAX tax clearance is required.

Continuing education: The cited current CLB materials do not establish the former C-60 continuing-education claim. Confirm current Board requirements before renewal.

Reciprocity

The NASCLA Accredited Examination is not accepted by Hawaii for this classification.

The cited CLB materials do not establish C-60 reciprocity. Out-of-state applicants follow the Hawaii application, experience, examination, insurance, and tax-clearance process unless CLB provides a written alternative.

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

Solar 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 Solar License Requirements — California Class C-46 — Solar Contractor
• Washington Solar License Requirements — Washington Solar Contractor Requirements (Electrical Contractor License, Construction Registration, and Local Permits)
• Oregon Solar License Requirements — Oregon Solar Contractor Licensing — CCB plus BCD Electrical Credential
• Nevada Solar License Requirements — Nevada Solar Contractor License — C-2 Electrical and C-2g Photovoltaics

Step-by-Step Application Roadmap

1. Match the scope to the correct contractor classification. C-60 covers PV panels, batteries, controls, and related low-voltage DC wiring. C-61, C-61a, and C-61b address solar thermal/heating-cooling work. Evaluate roofing, structural, electrical, high-voltage, plumbing, and other work separately.
2. Confirm that the chapter 444 license is required. The exemption is only for aggregate labor/material work at $1,500 or less, and it does not apply where a building, electrical, or plumbing permit is required or where the work is divided to evade the law.
3. Build the C-60 qualifying/RME record. Document four years of qualifying C-60 supervisory experience in the last ten years using the current notarized experience certificates and chronological project history. Entity applicants appoint and maintain the responsible managing employee.
4. Apply, clear taxes, and pass the current examination. Submit the $50 CLB application with tax clearance, financial statement, credit report, experience records, and entity documents. After approval, register with PSI for the current appropriate classification examination.
5. Complete issuance and keep the credential active. Meet CLB’s post-examination issuance requirements and keep liability/workers’ compensation coverage continuous. Maintain RME/entity records and renew under the current biennial cycle.
6. Complete county permits, electrical approvals, and utility interconnection. Use the responsible county’s building/electrical process for plans, permits, and inspections. Coordinate the electric scope with the appropriately licensed electrical contractor and workers. For Hawaiian Electric service areas, use the Customer Interconnection Tool; other utilities have their own process.

Application Checklist

The items below are the ones worth confirming before the application is filed with DCCA CLB:

• C-60 scope review and separate classification analysis for thermal, roofing, structural, electrical, and high-voltage work
• $1,500 chapter 444 threshold and permit-exception analysis
• Applicant/RME with four years of C-60 supervisory experience
• Notarized experience certificates and chronological project history
• Financial statement, credit report, current tax clearance, and entity/RME documents
• CLB application and $50 fee
• Current PSI appropriate-classification examination pass
• Continuous liability and workers’ compensation coverage or approved exclusion
• County building/electrical permits and inspections
• Serving-utility interconnection application and approved equipment/process where applicable

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

Common Filing Mistakes

Working from the cited board instructions, here are the snags most likely to trip up a Hawaii Solar filing.

Treating C-60 as a full electrical license

C-60 has a defined PV/battery/controls/low-voltage-DC scope. Electrical and other project scope must be licensed and staffed as required.

Using obsolete Prometric, fee, or exam claims

PSI now administers contractor examinations after CLB approval; current bulletin information controls.

Representing NABCEP as mandatory state or utility approval

NABCEP is recognized industry training/certification but is not shown as a universal C-60 or Hawaiian Electric interconnection prerequisite in the cited sources.

Letting insurance or RME status lapse

Required insurance lapses and missed RME replacement/inactivation deadlines can forfeit the license.

Confusing state licensing with permits or interconnection

CLB licensing, county permits, electrical approval, and serving-utility interconnection are separate approvals.

Study and Reference Materials

These are the preparation and reference materials tied to this credential — cited by the regulator or widely used by applicants. CLR earns nothing from listing them.

• HAR chapter 16-77 — Hawaii DCCA. Official C-60/C-61/C-61a/C-61b and electrical-contractor classification scopes.
• CLB contractor application requirements — Hawaii DCCA. Current experience, documents, application timing, and licensing process.
• PSI Hawaii contractor examination bulletin — PSI Services. Use the current bulletin after CLB approval for content, fees, and reference materials.
• Hawaiian Electric contractor resources — Hawaiian Electric. For current interconnection applications, programs, equipment guidance, and contractor updates in Hawaiian Electric service areas.

Other Hawaii Trade Licenses

Should the Solar path not apply, these other Hawaii trade guides from CLR may help:

• Hawaii General Contractor License Requirements
• Hawaii Electrician License Requirements
• Hawaii Plumber License Requirements
• Hawaii HVAC Technician License Requirements
• Hawaii Roofing Contractor License Requirements
• Hawaii Painting Contractor License Requirements
• Hawaii Landscaping Contractor License Requirements
• Hawaii Masonry Contractor License Requirements
• Hawaii Concrete Contractor License Requirements
• Hawaii Carpentry Contractor 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 does Hawaii C-60 cover?

C-60 Solar power systems contractor covers assembly and installation of photovoltaic panels, batteries, controls, and related low-voltage DC wiring.

Does C-60 cover every electrical part of a solar job?

No. The C-60 scope is limited by the classification rule. Evaluate electrical service, AC/interconnection, voltage level, electrical-worker licensing, and any other specialty work separately; use the appropriately licensed electrical contractor where required.

Is NABCEP required to obtain C-60?

No state C-60 application requirement in the cited official materials makes NABCEP a substitute for the four-year supervisory experience or the CLB examination. Hawaiian Electric describes it as a recognized industry certification, not a universal interconnection prerequisite.

Is a Hawaii contractor license required on every solar job?

A license is required for projects exceeding $1,500 in labor and materials and for any project requiring a building, electrical, or plumbing permit. The statutory exemptions have additional limits.

Does a C-60 license approve utility interconnection?

No. Serving-utility interconnection is a separate process. Hawaiian Electric uses its Customer Interconnection Tool for its renewable-energy programs; other utilities use their own current requirements.

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