Hawaii has a State Building Code Council that creates a statewide building code. All construction-related individuals and companies need to be aware of how to easily find this set of state building codes. Those who are bound by the codes can then refer to them for compliance questions and problems.
Step 1:
Learn how state building codes are created. The state of Hawaii has a Department of Accounting and General Services. Within this administrative agency, there exists a State Building Code Council, which is the administrative body that creates Hawaii building codes. The policy of Hawaii is to create a statewide standard of building codes to avoid inconsistencies in county codes.
While some parts of the Hawaii building code are created within Hawaii, a large portion of the building codes are adopted from outside sources. The following national or international codes and related state codes comprise the overall Hawaii Building Code:
a. International Building Code;
b. Uniform Plumbing Code;
c. Hawaii Fire Code (as created by the State Fire Council); and
d. other Hawaii design standards.
Also, the latest editions of these codes are meant to be included within the building code. Thus, you will find that the Hawaii Building Code changes frequently as these outside codes are adopted. As a result, when you are involved in the construction industry in Hawaii, you need to keep up with all the changes to avoid using standards that may be out of date.
Note:
As time goes by, changes to the main content can also take place. For example, as of December 2010, if you access the Hawaii building codes online, you will find that they are divided as follows:
Hawaii Building Code
Hawaii Electrical Code
Hawaii Energy Conservation Code
Hawaii Fire Code
Hawaii Plumbing Code
In addition, there are constant proposed changes at the state level. In the Resources below, you can find a link to the proposed changes and a form to request changes if you feel that the code should be improved in some way.
Note: There is also a Hawaii State Residential Code. In the links below, you can find that code plus proposed changes.
Finding Other Sources of the Codes:
When reading through these construction laws, you will find out the original source of the adopted codes. For example, you will notice that the International Building Code is adopted from the International Code Council. You can contact these third parties to get a copy of the original codes.
The ICC code ordering page is in the Resources below. You can also see a link to the publisher of the National Electrical Code, which is another outside code adopted as a building code in Hawaii.
Resources:
Hawaii Building Code
Proposed Changes to the Hawaii Building Code
Note: A link to the submission form for proposed changes is found on the “Proposed Changes” page.
ICC International Building Codes Order Page
National Fire Protection Association (Publisher of the National Electrical Code)
