Government in Hawaii is composed of State Government, with its capital in Honolulu, and four County governments - the City and County of Honolulu and the counties of Kauai, Maui and the Big Island of Hawaii. The county seat for the City and County of Oahu is located in Honolulu on the south side of the Island with various county departments - police, fire, licensing, building permits, planning and so on - providing services at offices and locations throughout Oahu.

An elected mayor and city council lead Oahu's government; a city prosecuting attorney is also elected. All other offices are appointive. The mayor - currently Mufi Hanneman who was elected in 2004 - is elected to a four-year term and is responsible for overseeing the various county departments through a managing director and deputy managing director.

There are seven major county departments: Finance, Planning, Research and Development, Public Works, Parks & Recreation, Data Systems, Environmental Management as well as the semi-autonomous Department of Water Supply. Appointed commissions control the departments of police, fire, liquor control and civil service. Other offices/agencies include Housing and Community Development, Aging, Mass Transit and Civil Defense.

The mayor annually submits an operating budget to the City Council for approval and has veto power of legislation coming from the council. Council members create legislation for the county and are elected at large every two years.