SB 2443: Historic Preservation; Historic Property; Exclusions
- Session Year: 2025-2026
- House: Senate
- Latest Version Date: 2026-01-21
Current Status:
Failed
(2026-02-13: The committee on WLA deferred the measure.)
Introduced
In Committee
First Chamber
In Committee
Second Chamber
Final Decking
Enacted
What does this bill do?
Changes the definition of “historic property” so a place counts as historic only if it meets the Hawaii Register criteria or if it has important value to Native Hawaiians or other ethnic groups because of cultural practices carried out there or ties to traditional beliefs, events, or oral histories. It also limits when privately owned single‑family homes and townhouses must go through historic‑preservation review to cases where the house is over 50 years old and is listed, nominated, or located in a historic district.
The summary is provided by generative AI which can make mistakes. For original language, please view the details in the table below.
Amends the definition of "historic property" to require that the property meets the criteria for inclusion in the Hawaii Register of Historic Places 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 carried out, at the property or associations with traditional beliefs, events, or oral accounts that are important to history, traditional practices, and cultural identity.
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THE SENATE |
S.B. NO. |
2443 |
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THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2026 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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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 heiau and underwater site, that is over fifty years old and:
(1) Meets
[meets] the criteria for being entered into the Hawaii register of
historic places[.]; or
(2) Has important value to Native Hawaiians or other ethnic groups of the State due to:
(A) Associations with cultural practices once carried out, or still carried out, at the property; or
(B) Associations with traditional beliefs, events, or oral accounts that are important to history, traditional practices, and cultural identity."
SECTION 2. Section 6E-42.2, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended to read as follows:
"§6E-42.2
Excluded activities for privately-owned single‑family detached
dwelling units and townhouses[, residential projects, and nominally
sensitive areas]. (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
is:
(1) Listed on the Hawaii or national register of historic places, or both;
(2) Nominated for inclusion on the Hawaii or national register of historic places, or both; or
(3) Located in a historic district.
[(b) An application for a proposed project on an
existing residential property shall be subject to the requirements of section
6E-42 only if the existing residential property is over fifty years old and is
registered on the Hawaii register of historic places.
(c) An application for a proposed project in a
nominally sensitive area shall not be subject to the requirements of section
6E-42.]
[(d)]
(b) For the purposes of this
section:
"Dwelling unit" means a building or portion thereof designed or used exclusively for residential occupancy and having all necessary facilities for permanent residency such as living, sleeping, cooking, eating, and sanitation.
["Nominally sensitive area"
means a project area that is known to include a low density of historic,
cultural, or archaeological resources, or where the project area has been
substantially disturbed by previous excavation or other ground-disturbing work
and no significant historic properties have been previously identified.]
"Single-family detached dwelling unit" means an individual, freestanding, unattached dwelling unit, typically built on a lot larger than the structure itself, resulting in an area surrounding the dwelling.
"Townhouse" has the same meaning as defined in section 502C-1."
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.
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INTRODUCED BY: |
_____________________________ |
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Report Title:
Historic Preservation; Historic Property; Exclusions
Description:
Amends the definition of "historic property" to require that the property meets the criteria for inclusion in the Hawaii Register of Historic Places 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 carried out, at the property or associations with traditional beliefs, events, or oral accounts that are important to history, traditional practices, and cultural identity.
The summary description of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.
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Date
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Status
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| Feb 13, 2026 | The committee on WLA deferred the measure. |
| Feb 12, 2026 | The committee on HWN deferred the measure. |
| Feb 10, 2026 | The committee(s) on HWN deferred the measure until 02-12-26 1:05PM; Conference Room 224 & Videoconference. |
| Feb 10, 2026 | The committee(s) on WLA deferred the measure until 02-13-26 1:00PM; CR 224 & Videoconference. |
| Feb 6, 2026 | The committee(s) on WLA/HWN has scheduled a public hearing on 02-10-26 1:00PM; Conference Room 224 & Videoconference. |
| Jan 28, 2026 | Referred to WLA/HWN, JDC. |
| Jan 22, 2026 | Passed First Reading. |
| Jan 22, 2026 | Introduced. |
This list shows positions taken on this bill by organizations on the date displayed, which is linked to the original source.
Positions by individuals are not included.
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Organization
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Position
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Date
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| NAIOP Hawaii | *** Against | Feb 10, 2026 |
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Date
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Testimony PDF
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| Feb 10, 2026 | SB2443_TESTIMONY_HWN-WLA_02-10-26_.PDF |
Discussed in Hearing
Conference Committee
Senate Standing Committee on Agriculture and Environment
Senate Standing Committee on Hawaiian Affairs
Senate Standing Committee on Health and Human Services
Senate Standing Committee on Water, Land, Culture and the Arts
Senate Standing Committee on Hawaiian Affairs
Senate Standing Committee on Water, Land, Culture and the Arts
Bill Author
Bill Co-Author(s):