Building a Safer Hawai‘i: Advancing Code Resilience

This project proposes to strengthen Hawaiʻi’s resilience by ensuring that state and county building codes are kept current with modern safety and sustainability standards. Strengthening the State Building Code Council’s capacity and coordination will support more timely code updates and consistent implementation across all counties. In light of Hawaiʻi’s “low resistance” rating in FEMA Region 9’s Building Code Adoption Report, this effort will help reduce vulnerabilities to wildfires and other natural hazards through improved statewide guidance, training, and planning. Investing in a strong, well-coordinated code system is a cost-effective way to safeguard lives, reduce recovery costs, and protect Hawaiʻi’s economy, enabling our state to lead by example in building a safer and more resilient future.