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How do painters in Hawaii get more customers from Google and AI search?

Facts checked November 8, 2026 by Ansh Singh

Short answer: Painters in Hawaii get found online with a website that shows their license number, names the towns they serve such as Urban Honolulu CDP, and collects real local reviews. Licensing runs through the Contractors License Board, Hawaii DCCA Professional and Vocational Licensing. The state had 152 businesses with staff in this Census category in 2022.

Do painters need a license in Hawaii?

In Hawaii, the licensing body for this work is Contractors License Board, Hawaii DCCA Professional and Vocational Licensing.

License or registration types named by the state: A General Engineering Contractor; B General Building Contractor; C-31 Masonry Contractor; C-31a Cement Concrete Contractor; C-32 Ornamental, Guardrail and Fencing Contractor; C-32a Wood and Vinyl Fencing Contractor; C-33 Painting and Decorating Contractor.

• Work over $1,500 in labor and materials needs a license. Concrete is C-31a, masonry C-31, fencing C-32 or C-32a, painting C-33.
• B general building licensees automatically hold C-31a cement concrete and C-32a wood and vinyl fencing. A licensees hold C-31a and C-32.
• The $1,500 exemption does not apply if a building permit is required or the job is part of a larger project.

Homeowners can check a license on the state lookup page. Put your number where they will look for it.

License numbers in ads and on websites

HRS 444-9.2 lets a contractor advertise in print or broadcast media only if the ad shows the current license number and the contractor can prove it is valid. Advertising as a contractor without a valid license is a misdemeanor, even for people exempt under the small-job rule.

How many painting contractors compete in Hawaii’s main cities?

Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2022 and County Population Estimates 2023. Counts businesses with paid employees only.

How many painting contractors are in Hawaii?

The Census Bureau counted 152 businesses with employees in Hawaii in 2022, in the category “Painting and wall covering contractors”. That ranks Hawaii 43rd of 50 states, one of the smaller markets, and 0% of the US total. 74% of them have fewer than 10 staff, and 11 have 20 or more.

Together they employ 1,423 people, with an average yearly payroll of $609,533 per business. The three busiest counties hold 89% of them, so competition is packed into a few places.

With 1,435,138 residents (Census, July 2023), that is one business for every 9,442 people, against 8,807 nationally: close to the US average.

Counties with the most painting contractors

4 of Hawaii’s counties have at least one. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2022.

How big are they?

Businesses by number of employees, 2022: 81 with 1-4 staff, 32 with 5-9 staff, 26 with 10-19 staff, 7 with 20-49 staff, 4 with 50+ staff.

Where Hawaii is growing

New homes and new owners bring new work. Hawaii's population changed -1.1% from July 2020 to July 2023. The fastest-growing counties with 50,000 or more people:

• Hawaii County: 207,615 people, +3.4% since 2020, 23 painting contractors
• Kauai County: 73,851 people, +0.9% since 2020, 17 painting contractors
• Maui County: 164,183 people, -0.4% since 2020, 29 painting contractors
• Honolulu County: 989,408 people, -2.3% since 2020, 83 painting contractors

Source: US Census Bureau, County Population Estimates, Vintage 2023.

What should a Hawaii painter website show?

• Your license number in the footer of every page. Hawaii requires it in advertising for at least some trades.
• A service area list that names real counties and towns, for example Honolulu County, Maui County and Hawaii County.
• Real reviews from local jobs, with the town named, and photos of your own work.

Hawaii questions

Who licenses painters in Hawaii?

Contractors License Board, Hawaii DCCA Professional and Vocational Licensing. Work over $1,500 in labor and materials needs a license. Concrete is C-31a, masonry C-31, fencing C-32 or C-32a, painting C-33. B general building licensees automatically hold C-31a cement concrete and C-32a wood and vinyl fencing. A licensees hold C-31a and C-32. The $1,500 exemption does not apply if a building permit is required or the job is part of a larger project.

How many painting contractors are there in Hawaii?

The US Census Bureau counted 152 businesses with employees in Hawaii in 2022 in the category Painting and wall covering contractors, and 74% of them have fewer than 10 staff.

Which county in Hawaii has the most painting contractors?

Honolulu County, with 83 businesses with employees in 2022 (Census County Business Patterns).

Do I need my license number on my website in Hawaii?

HRS 444-9.2 lets a contractor advertise in print or broadcast media only if the ad shows the current license number and the contractor can prove it is valid. Advertising as a contractor without a valid license is a misdemeanor, even for people exempt under the small-job rule.

Sources

• US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2022 (state and county files)
• US Census Bureau, City, Town and County Population Estimates, Vintage 2023
• https://cca.hawaii.gov/pvl/boards/contractor/
• https://cca.hawaii.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/DescriptionofContractorLicenseClassifications-1.pdf
• https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/hrscurrent/Vol10_Ch0436-0474/HRS0444/HRS_0444-0002.htm
• https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/hrscurrent/Vol10_Ch0436-0474/HRS0444/HRS_0444-0009_0002.htm
• https://www.law.cornell.edu/regulations/hawaii/Haw-Code-R-SS-16-77-83