Engineering in alignment
with the land it shapes.
Specialized residential design — site plans, grading, drainage, utilities, and septic — guided by ten years on Maui and a deep respect for natural systems.
A small, intentional firm rooted in place.
Zaya Civil is a niche residential civil engineering practice based on Maui. The work spans site plans, grading and drainage, utilities, septic, and permitting — the foundational infrastructure that homes and homesteads quietly depend on.
Alongside traditional services, the practice weaves in deeper, natural-systems-aligned design — in how a site is laid out, the materials chosen, and the relationship between client, land, and vision. A unique intersection of beauty and care.
Residential civil engineering, end to end.
Specialized in residential projects across Maui — from initial concept through permitting and construction support. Every scope is shaped to the parcel, the people, and the place.
Site Plans
Thoughtful site layouts that work with the land — orientation, access, and flow considered from the start.
Grading & Drainage
Design and permitting for grading and stormwater that protect both your build and the watershed below.
Utilities Design
Water, power, and infrastructure routing designed and permitted with longevity in mind.
Septic Systems
Septic design and permitting, including modern cesspool upgrades that meet Hawaiʻi's evolving requirements.
SWPPP Plans
Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plans tailored to your site's terrain, soils, and construction sequence.
SMA Permitting
Special Management Area applications for projects within Maui's coastal zone.
Flood Permitting
Floodplain analysis and permitting for parcels within designated flood zones.
NPDES Permitting
NPDES coverage for construction-related discharges, prepared and shepherded through the agencies.
Consulting
One-on-one consulting for landowners, designers, and builders navigating their next step.
Not seeing exactly what you need? Reach out — most residential infrastructure scopes can be tailored or combined.
Amia Zaya, PE
I have worked as a civil engineer on Maui for the last ten years, contributing to a wide range of projects throughout the islands and earning my Professional Engineering license along the way. My academic background is in biological engineering, with a focus on agriculture and the environment, and I have additional roots in organic farming and permaculture.
I moved to Maui while healing from a life-threatening illness. In that journey to recovery, I learned just how essential infrastructure really is — whether it is the foundation of our health, or the foundation upon which we build our homes, businesses, and communities.
That blend of perspectives shapes how I work today. I am a strong proponent of designing in alignment with natural systems, and I believe the most resilient, mutually beneficial solutions are born from that approach. Functional and beautiful, both.
Civil engineering, reimagined.
Zaya Civil is unfolding in phases. Alongside traditional residential engineering, the practice is steadily weaving in more conscious, earth-aligned approaches — exploring how the field itself can evolve to serve land and community more fully.
Designing with the land
Reading topography, water flow, sun, and wind so that homes settle into a site rather than fight it.
Natural systems
Integrating permaculture and ecological thinking into grading, drainage, and material choices.
Relationship to place
Honoring each client's vision for their land — and the longer story of the place itself.
“The strongest, most mutually beneficial solutions are born from working in alignment with natural systems.”
Good questions, honest answers.
Zaya Civil specializes in residential civil engineering on Maui — single-family homes, ohanas, and small-acreage homesteads. Typical scopes include site plans, grading and drainage, utilities, septic, and permitting support.
Yes. Permitting is a core part of the work — including grading and drainage, utilities, septic, SWPPP, SMA, flood, and NPDES. I prepare the documents, coordinate with reviewers, and shepherd projects through the process.
It means reading the land first — water flow, slope, soils, sun, wind, ecology — and letting those inform layout, grading, materials, and detail choices. The intent is infrastructure that works with the site rather than against it, and that holds up beautifully over time.
Absolutely. Early conversations are often the most valuable. Consulting is offered as its own service, so we can sit with the parcel and the vision before any drawings begin.
The practice is rooted on Maui, with project work primarily across Maui County. Reach out about other islands or unique projects and we can discuss fit.
Send a note through the contact form below — a brief description of your parcel and goals is plenty. We'll set up a conversation from there.
Let's talk about your land.
Whether you're at the very beginning of a project or ready for permitting, I'd love to hear what you're working on.