Urging The County Of Maui To Adopt Ordinances That Establish Wildland-urban Interface Safety Standards For Plantation Towns And Other High-risk Communities, Taking Into Account The County Of Kauai's Ordinance No. Pm-2025-425, Relating To The Plantation Camp District Wildfire And Wildland Urban Interface, And Other State And National Wildland-urban Interface Best Practices.
Summary
H.R. 128 is a House Resolution urging the County of Maui to adopt local ordinances establishing wildland-urban interface (WUI) safety standards for plantation towns and other high-risk communities. The resolution points to the County of Kauai’s Ordinance No. PM-2025-425 as a model and cites national best practices for reducing wildfire losses through home hardening, defensible space, vegetation management, wildfire risk mapping, and integrating fire safety into zoning and permitting.
The measure is framed around the 2023 Maui wildfires and the particular vulnerability of historic plantation-era and country towns such as Lahaina, Paia, and Makawao. It encourages Maui County to tailor standards for ember-resistant and ignition-resistant construction, noncombustible zones near structures, access and water supply considerations, and redevelopment review in areas where wildfire can rapidly become an urban conflagration. The resolution also asks that lessons from the Maui fires be applied to other communities with similar risk profiles.
Impact
This resolution does not directly amend state law or impose binding requirements; instead, it expresses the Legislature’s policy position and urges Maui County to enact ordinances. Its practical impact would be indirect, potentially influencing county zoning, building, permitting, and land-use rules if Maui adopts the recommended standards. The resolution also reinforces the use of county-level wildfire mitigation measures in historic and plantation-town settings and highlights Kauai’s ordinance as a precedent for local regulation.
Sentiment
The overall sentiment is strongly supportive of wildfire mitigation and local action. The resolution is presented as a response to the devastating 2023 Maui wildfires and reflects urgency, concern for public safety, and a desire to modernize community planning to reduce future losses. The discussion embedded in the bill text is largely one-sided and affirmative, with no recorded opposition, committee debate, or negative vote history provided.
Contention
The main policy tension is between wildfire safety requirements and the preservation of historic, cultural, and community character in plantation towns. The resolution acknowledges that standards must be locally tailored so they can protect life and property without undermining historic town design or redevelopment goals. Another implicit point of contention is the extent to which county governments should regulate private property and development through ignition-resistant construction, defensible space, vegetation management, and mapping-based applicability thresholds. No specific opposing stakeholders are identified in the available record.
Same As
Urging The County Of Maui To Adopt Ordinances That Establish Wildland-urban Interface Safety Standards For Plantation Towns And Other High-risk Communities, Taking Into Account The County Of Kauai's Ordinance No. Pm-2025-425, Relating To The Plantation Camp District Wildfire And Wildland Urban Interface, And Other State And National Wildland-urban Interface Best Practices.
Same As
Urging The County Of Maui To Adopt Ordinances That Establish Wildland-urban Interface Safety Standards For Plantation Towns And Other High-risk Communities, Taking Into Account The County Of Kauai's Ordinance No. Pm-2025-425, Relating To The Plantation Camp District Wildfire And Wildland Urban Interface, And Other State And National Wildland-urban Interface Best Practices.
Urging The Counties To Adopt Local Zoning Ordinances To Require Owners Of Agricultural-zoned Lands To Execute And Record Declarations That Acknowledge State And County Agricultural Land Use Regulations And Requirements And Penalties For Noncompliance.
Urging The City And County Of Honolulu, The County Of Maui, The County Of Hawaii, And The County Of Kauai To Establish Sister City Relationships With Other Pacific Island Municipalities.
Urging The Department Of Land And Natural Resources And City And County Of Honolulu To Implement Green Fire Breaks In West Oahu To Mitigate The Risk Of Wildfires.
Urging The Counties To Adopt Local Zoning Ordinances To Require Owners Of Agricultural-zoned Lands To Execute And Record Declarations That Acknowledge State And County Agricultural Land Use Regulations And Requirements And Penalties For Noncompliance.
Urging The Counties To Adopt Local Zoning Ordinances To Require Owners Of Agricultural-zoned Lands To Execute And Record Declarations That Acknowledge State And County Agricultural Land Use Regulations And Requirements And Penalties For Noncompliance.
Urging The Counties To Adopt Local Zoning Ordinances To Require Owners Of Agricultural-zoned Lands To Execute And Record Declarations That Acknowledge State And County Agricultural Land Use Regulations And Requirements And Penalties For Noncompliance.
Urging The City And County Of Honolulu, The County Of Maui, The County Of Hawaii, And The County Of Kauai To Establish Sister City Relationships With Other Pacific Island Municipalities.
Urging The Department Of Land And Natural Resources And City And County Of Honolulu To Implement Green Fire Breaks In West Oahu To Mitigate The Risk Of Wildfires.
Urging The Ethics Commission Of Each County To Adopt Standards Similar To That Applicable To State Elected Officials And Officers As Adopted And Enforced By The State Ethics Commission.
Urging The County Of Maui To Adopt Ordinances That Establish Wildland-urban Interface Safety Standards For Plantation Towns And Other High-risk Communities, Taking Into Account The County Of Kauai's Ordinance No. Pm-2025-425, Relating To The Plantation Camp District Wildfire And Wildland Urban Interface, And Other State And National Wildland-urban Interface Best Practices.
Urging The County Of Maui To Adopt Ordinances That Establish Wildland-urban Interface Safety Standards For Plantation Towns And Other High-risk Communities, Taking Into Account The County Of Kauai's Ordinance No. Pm-2025-425, Relating To The Plantation Camp District Wildfire And Wildland Urban Interface, And Other State And National Wildland-urban Interface Best Practices.
Urging The County Of Maui To Adopt Ordinances That Establish Wildland-urban Interface Safety Standards For Plantation Towns And Other High-risk Communities, Taking Into Account The County Of Kauai's Ordinance No. Pm-2025-425, Relating To The Plantation Camp District Wildfire And Wildland Urban Interface, And Other State And National Wildland-urban Interface Best Practices.