The state is requiring Kawaiaha'o Church to obtain a disinterment permit before it can resume construction on its $17.5 million multipurpose center, in what could further delay the troubled project.

Construction on the two-story, commercial center was halted in March after workers dug up and removed 69 human burials, even though the church did not have a permit to disinter those remains.

In a letter to the church yesterday, Department of Land and Natural Resources Chairwoman Laura H. Thielen said the church needs to examine the property for additional burials using ground-penetrating radar before getting a disinterment permit.

The church also must supply the state with documentation on past burials, conduct hand excavations of newly discovered remains and develop a detailed reburial plan for bodies that they unearth.

"This letter provides guidelines on how to proceed with your project and provide a respectful disinterment and final resting place for the iwi kupuna in your care," Thielen wrote.

In an e-mail, the church said it was pleased with Thielen's letter, which "allows construction to proceed."

"We look forward to working with both the state Historic Preservation Division and the state Department of Health to obtain the necessary approvals to proceed with the project," the church said. "We hope to resume construction as soon as possible."

A disinterment permit, which is issued by the state Health Department, would require Kawaiaha'o to identify and justify the removal of the remains.

The church would have to demonstrate that it has the consent of lineal descendants of the deceased to remove the burials, which can be difficult.

Kawaiaha'o has said that it has the support of many of the families but it also has said that it cannot identify many of the remains.

Called "the Westminster Abbey of Hawai'i," Kawaiaha'o is one of the state's oldest and best-known churches. It is listed on the national and state registers of historic places and is the final resting place of King William Charles Lunalilo.

The new multipurpose center — which will include classrooms, a $1 million kitchen, a nursery and office facilities — replaces the church's Likeke Hall, which was built on a former cemetery.

The Kawaiaha'o iwi discovery is one of the largest on O'ahu, exceeding those found at Wal-Mart's Ke'eaumoku location and the Ward Village Shops in Kaka'ako, whose building plans were delayed for months.

In addition to the 69 remains that were dug up, an archaeological consultant hired by the church using ground penetrating radar previously estimated that another 83 bodies may be buried beneath the construction site.