Bill 53, which addresses the proliferation of monster homes, will be voted on Wednesday, September 12, in its last hearing before City Council. The bill attempts to strengthen enforcement provisions for buildings and structures erected, constructed, enlarged, altered, repaired, moved, improved, removed, or converted without the necessary permits.
The bill would address issues in which work is started with or without a building permit, establish fines for work continuing after a notice of violation has been issued, and impose additional and daily civil fines up to ten times the fee of the building permit up to $10,000.
Support for the bill has been strong but many in the construction industry acknowledge that while they support strengthening enforcement provisions for violation of the Building Permit process, the bill does not address the reasons why people start construction prior to obtaining a building permit in the first place. The Department of Planning and Permitting takes an unreasonable amount of time to issue a building permit and should focus on the building codes that are intended to protect public health and safety. The City should focus on the inspection process during and after construction to insure compliance with the Building Codes. If not in compliance, then the remedies and penalties drafted in Bill 53 can be imposed. Without major improvements to the time it takes to issue a building permit, there are concerns that housing construction could be shut down on Oahu.
