Hawaii HRS Chapter 343 — State Environmental Review (HEPA) (HI)

Tracked preemption from the Hawaii overlay bundle.

Overview

Effective
1974-05-30
Sunset
Authority
state
Scope
state:HI

Trigger predicate

When this evaluates true for a parcel, the law's preempted fields take precedence over base zoning.

OR
  • project.uses_state_or_county_funds == True
  • project.uses_state_or_county_land == True
  • parcel.state_land_use_district == conservation
  • parcel.in_special_management_area == True
  • project.requires_shoreline_area_use == True

Preempted fields

2 fields on the base district schema are rewritten when the trigger fires.

FieldOpValueNote
review_typeaddea_or_eis_requiredHawaii Environmental Policy Act (HEPA) triggers EA/EIS before any discretionary approval
permit_timeline_daysfloor_at180EA process minimum ~6 months; EIS typically 18-36 months

Citation

Authority source
HRS Chapter 343; HAR Ch. 11-200.1 (OEQC rules)
§ HRS Ch. 343 — Environmental Impact Statements
https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/hrscurrent/Vol06_Ch0321-0344/HRS0343/

Research notes

Hawaii's state-level NEPA analog. Nine statutory triggers under §343-5(a); the most common in development are state/county funds, state/county land use, Conservation district, SMA, and shoreline area. Administered by Office of Environmental Quality Control (OEQC). Procedural — does not directly preempt zoning but creates a parallel approval gate that can effectively block projects. Federal conflict check enabled where also subject to NEPA.