Bill Text: HI HB503 | 2019 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating To Public Safety.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2019-01-22 - Referred to CPC/JUD, referral sheet 4 [HB503 Detail]
Download: Hawaii-2019-HB503-Introduced.html
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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES |
H.B. NO. |
503 |
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THIRTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2019 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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A BILL FOR AN ACT
relating to public safety.
BE IT
ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:
SECTION 1. The
legislature finds that Act 53, Session Laws of Hawaii 2017, extended the
prohibition of the adoption of any codes or regulations by the counties that
requires the installation of residential fire sprinklers in one- or two-family
dwellings, except to meet firefighting road access or water supply requirements. Because of their reliability and
effectiveness in suppressing a fire in its initial stages, both national
residential building codes have required residential fire sprinklers since
2009.
The legislature also finds that it is against
the best interest of public health and safety to prohibit any local measure that
may reduce fire losses and improve the fire survivability of community
residents by eighty per cent. Further,
residential fire sprinklers greatly reduce the spread of fire, thereby significantly
lessening property damage and loss. The legislature
also finds that the intensity, severity, and the spread of fire in residential
buildings is directly related to the contents and furnishings of buildings, and
although improvements have been made in building construction, design, and
materials, the volatility and toxicity of today's synthetic materials allows
untenable conditions to be reached more rapidly.
The legislature further finds that the
respective county jurisdictions face unique challenges and issues relating to
fire protection, including population density, proximity of structures,
infrastructure, access, and limited fire protection resources. Therefore, this Act recognizes and
establishes individual county authority, or "home rule," as the
appropriate application of requirements.
Home rule is recognized, acknowledged, and supported by the evidence
presented by the National Fire Protection Association’s fire sprinkler initiative. While California and Maryland have statewide requirements
for residential fire sprinklers in new one- and two-family dwellings, eighteen
states have no statewide requirements, allowing local jurisdictions to require
residential fire sprinklers. Additionally,
the state building code council, which was created in 2007, is responsible for
reviewing and adopting the latest editions of national model building codes for
the State and it is the forum building code experts use to discuss the various
fields of building design, construction, safety, and health. On November 13, 2018, the state building code
council adopted the state residential code that requires all State construction
of new one- and two-family dwellings to install residential fire sprinklers.
SECTION 2. Section 46-19.8, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is repealed.
["[§46‑19.8] Fire sprinklers; residences. No county shall require the
installation or retrofitting of automatic fire sprinklers or an automatic fire
sprinkler system in:
(1) Any new or existing detached
one- or two-family dwelling unit in a structure used only for residential
purposes; and
(2) Nonresidential
agricultural and aquacultural buildings and structures located outside an urban
area;
provided that this section shall not apply to new
homes that require a variance from access road or firefighting water supply
requirements."]
SECTION 3. Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken.
SECTION 4. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.
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INTRODUCED BY: |
_____________________________ |
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By Request |
Report Title:
State Fire Council Package; Public Safety; Fire Protection; Sprinklers
Description:
Authorizes the counties to adopt codes and regulations that would require the installation of residential fire protection sprinkler systems and re-establishes the county "home rule" concept.
The summary description
of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is
not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.
