SB2645 revises Hawaii’s fire-prevention framework by making the state fire code the minimum statewide standard for fire and life safety. It bars counties from adopting or enforcing any fire-related ordinance, rule, or code provision that is less restrictive than the state code, while still allowing counties to propose more restrictive amendments when needed to address unique local conditions. Any county amendment would have to be submitted to the state fire marshal for review and approval before it could take effect.
The bill also creates a State Fire and Life Safety Special Fund to receive grants, donations, settlements, interest, and legislative appropriations, and to finance code administration, wildfire mitigation, training, research, outreach, and other fire-marshal duties. In addition, it changes inspection rules for state facilities by directing the state fire marshal to conduct fire and safety inspections at intervals not exceeding once every three years, based on risk and occupancy, rather than the prior annual inspection requirement. Finally, it amends a prior appropriation act to replace certain fire inspector and fire investigator positions with assistant fire marshal positions and continues funding for the office of the state fire marshal.
Impact
The bill amends Chapter 132, Hawaii Revised Statutes, by adding statewide minimum standards for fire code regulation and a new special fund administered by the office of the state fire marshal. It also revises section 132-6 to shift inspection responsibility for state facilities to the state fire marshal and reduce the maximum inspection frequency, and it updates Act 302, SLH 2025, to reallocate authorized positions and appropriations for the office of the state fire marshal. Counties retain some local flexibility, but only for more restrictive amendments approved by the state fire marshal.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have broad support and moved through the Legislature without recorded opposition in the available votes. It passed Senate Public Safety, Senate Ways and Means, and the conference committees unanimously or near-unanimously, and it was ultimately enacted as Act 078. The vote pattern suggests general agreement with strengthening statewide fire-safety oversight and funding the state fire marshal’s office.
Contention
The main policy tension in the bill is between statewide uniformity and county autonomy. Counties may object to losing the ability to adopt less restrictive local fire rules and to having their amendments subject to state fire marshal approval, while supporters likely view this as necessary to ensure consistent fire and life safety standards across the state. A secondary point of interest is the shift in inspection frequency for state facilities from annual to risk-based intervals not exceeding three years, which could raise questions about oversight intensity, though the bill’s unanimous committee support suggests these concerns were not politically divisive in the legislative process.