S.B. 3240 Summary

• Amends Hawaii Revised Statutes § 46-88 to prohibit residential occupancy in agricultural buildings exempt from building permit and building code requirements.

• Establishes that exempt agricultural buildings cannot include kitchens, bathrooms, bedrooms, utility connections, independent power sources, decks, lanais, balconies, or interior drywall.

• Requires owners seeking to construct exempt agricultural buildings to obtain Department of Agriculture approval of an agricultural farm plan prior to construction, assessing site-specific conditions and environmental protections.

• Maintains existing exemptions for structures under 1,000 square feet (barns, greenhouses, storage buildings, shade cloth structures, aquacultural tanks) and allows structures up to 8,000 square feet when compliant with building codes.

• Requires written notice to county agencies of proposed construction, county certification within 30 days, and final as-built notification within 30 days of completion; failure to notify may void the exemption at county discretion.