HB 737: RELATING TO HISTORIC PRESERVATION.

A BILL FOR AN ACT

RELATING TO HISTORIC PRESERVATION.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

     SECTION 1.  Section 6E-2, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by amending the definition of "historic property" to read as follows:

     ""Historic property" means any building, structure, object, district, area, or site, including a heiau and an underwater site, [which] that is over fifty years old[.] and meets the integrity and significance criteria to be placed onto the Hawaii register of historic places, as determined by department staff or a qualified professional, as set forth by the department, or has important value to Native Hawaiians or other ethnic groups of the State due to associations with cultural practices once carried out, or still being carried out, at the property or due to associations with traditional beliefs, events, or oral accounts that are important to the group's history, traditional practices, and cultural identity."

     SECTION 2.  Section 6E-42.2, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by amending subsection (a) to read as follows:

     "(a)  An application for a proposed project on an existing privately-owned single-family detached dwelling unit or townhouse shall be subject to the requirements of section 6E-42 only if the single-family detached dwelling unit or townhouse is [over fifty years old and]:

     (1)  [Is listed] Listed on the Hawaii or national register of historic places, or both;

     (2)  [Is nominated] Nominated for inclusion on the Hawaii or national register of historic places, or both; or

     (3)  [Is located] Located in a historic district."

     SECTION 3.  Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken.  New statutory material is underscored.

     SECTION 4.  This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

Report Title:

Historic Preservation; Historic Property

Description:

Redefines "historic property" with respect to the State Historic Preservation Program.  Deletes the requirement for an application for a proposed project on an existing privately-owned single-family detached dwelling unit to have a historic preservation review if the unit or townhouse is over fifty years old.

The summary description of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.

A BILL FOR AN ACT

hISTORIC PRESERVATION.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

     SECTION 1.  Section 6E-2, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by amending the definition of "historic property" to read as follows:

     ""Historic property" means any building, structure, object, district, area, or site, including a heiau and an underwater site, [which] that is over fifty years old[.] and meets the integrity and significance criteria to be placed onto the Hawaii register of historic places, as determined by department staff or a qualified professional, as set forth by the department, or has important value to Native Hawaiians or other ethnic groups of the State due to associations with cultural practices once carried out, or still being carried out, at the property or due to associations with traditional beliefs, events, or oral accounts that are important to the group's history, traditional practices, and cultural identity."

     SECTION 2.  Section 6E-42.2, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by amending subsection (a) to read as follows:

     "(a)  An application for a proposed project on an existing privately-owned single-family detached dwelling unit or townhouse shall be subject to the requirements of section 6E-42 only if the single-family detached dwelling unit or townhouse is [over fifty years old] a historic property and:

     (1)  Is listed on the Hawaii or national register of historic places, or both;

     (2)  Is nominated for inclusion on the Hawaii or national register of historic places, or both; or

     (3)  Is located in a historic district."

     SECTION 3.  Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken.  New statutory material is underscored.

     SECTION 4.  This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

Report Title:

Historic Preservation; Historic Property

Description:

Redefines "historic property" with respect to the State Historic Preservation Program.  Requires historic review for proposed projects on existing privately-owned single-family detached dwelling units or townhouses only if the unit or townhouse is historic property, rather than over 50 years old.

The summary description of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.

STAND. COM. REP. NO.  209

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2025

RE:   H.B. No. 737

      H.D. 1

Honorable Nadine K. Nakamura

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2025

State of Hawaii

Madame:

     Your Committee on Housing, to which was referred H.B. No. 737 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT HISTORIC PRESERVATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to:

     (1)  Redefine historic property for the purposes of the State Historic Preservation Program; and

     (2)  Require historic review for proposed projects on existing privately—owned single-family detached dwelling units or townhouses only if the unit or townhouse is historic property, rather than over fifty years old.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Land and Natural Resources; Kaua‘i County Housing Agency; Housing Hawai‘i's Future; Grassroot Institute of Hawaii; Hawai‘i YIMBY; Holomua Collaborative; and two individuals.  Your Committee received comments on this measure from Historic Hawaiʻi Foundation and NAIOP Hawaii.

     Your Committee finds that Hawaii's existing definition of "historic property" is overly broad, requiring historic review for any structure over fifty years old, regardless of its actual historical or cultural significance.  This has created unnecessary delays in the permitting process, particularly for homeowners seeking to renovate or redevelop aging properties.  With nearly sixty percent of Oahu's single-family homes already over fifty years old—and that number increasing each year—the backlog of historic reviews is straining the resources of the State Historic Preservation Division, leading to months-long delays.  This measure refines the definition of "historic property" to focus on structures that meet clear criteria for historical significance and integrity, aligning state policy with federal historic preservation standards.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Correcting its title by changing it from "HISTORIC PRESERVATION" to read in its corrected form, "RELATING TO HISTORIC PRESERVATION";

     (2)  Deleting language that would have required an application for a proposed project on an existing privately-owned single-family detached dwelling unit or townhouse to be subject to historic preservation review if the unit or townhouse is a historic property; and

     (3)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Housing that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 737, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 737, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Water & Land.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Housing,