STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3421

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.C.R. No. 181

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2026

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Public Safety and Military Affairs and Energy and Intergovernmental Affairs, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 181 entitled:

"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 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,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to urge 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.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the American Institute of Architects Hawaiʻi.

Your Committees find that the 2023 Maui wildfires demonstrated how quickly wildfires can transition into urban conflagration, resulting in catastrophic loss of life, property, and cultural resources. Many states and counties across the country have already adopted wildland-urban interface (WUI) safety standards into local zoning ordinances and building codes to address this risk. The WUI safety standards incorporated by other jurisdictions, such as ignition-resistant construction, defensible space, and vegetation management, are widely recognized as best practices that reduce risk from ember intrusion and structure‑to‑structure fire spread. By urging the County of Maui to adopt ordinances based on these standards and Kauai County's ordinance No. PM-2025-425, this measure is a critical step toward protecting the State's communities, including historic planation towns.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Public Safety and Military Affairs and Energy and Intergovernmental Affairs that are attached to this report, your Committees concur with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 181 and recommend its adoption.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Public Safety and Military Affairs and Energy and Intergovernmental Affairs,

________________________________ GLENN WAKAI, Chair

________________________________ CAROL FUKUNAGA, Chair