Hawaii fire code
Which fire code applies in Hawaii depends on the county, and Honolulu runs on a newer edition than the state does. If you own or manage a building, it's on you to keep its fire protection systems in working order and properly documented. Not sure which rules cover your building in Honolulu? Call Honolulu Codes Enforcement to ask which fire code requirements apply before a failed test leaves you facing a 5-working-day deadline.
Code in force: 2018 NFPA 1 with state and county amendments. Enforced by: Fire Prevention Bureau and county fire departments. Your local fire marshal can add rules, so check with that office too.
- state fire code base edition 2018 NFPA 1
- honolulu fire code edition with local amendments NFPA 1, 2021 Edition
- enforces the fire code in honolulu Fire Prevention Bureau
- time limit to submit failed test reports 5 working days
Asking about a house? For a house or duplex, smoke alarm and sprinkler rules usually come from the residential building code (the IRC) instead, so ask your local building department.
Hawaii state fire code
The National Fire Protection Association publishes NFPA 1 as a fire code. According to the Hawaii County fire department, the state code is the 2018 edition, including amendments at both the state and county level. You'll find the state amendments under Hawaii Administrative Rules chapter 12-45.2.
That state rule document carries a date of January 1, 2010, the day chapter 12-45.2 replaced chapter 12-45.1. The 2010 state rule adopted the 2006 edition of NFPA 1, while Hawaii County's fire code page now lists the 2018 edition, so confirm which edition covers your building before you plan any work.
Counties are allowed to layer on their own rules. Hawaii County does this through Hawaii County Code Chapter 17, for instance. Counties can also demand permits and are required to have a fire appeals board in place. When the fire code and the county building code clash over new construction, the building code wins.
Honolulu fire code
Honolulu made NFPA 1, 2021 edition, along with state and county amendments, its fire code. It became effective January 3, 2025.
The Honolulu Fire Department's Fire Prevention Bureau enforces it, and it also helps update the city and state codes. The bureau's Codes Enforcement team keeps an eye on maintenance tests of fire protection systems and follows up with inspections after a failed test. The team is split into Codes Central, Codes East, and Codes West. Through the Company Inspection Program, firefighters inspect buildings too.
Owner duties for testing and records
Keeping sprinklers, alarms, extinguishers, and the rest of your fire protection systems in good shape falls to the owner. Detailed records of testing, inspection, and maintenance have to be kept so the fire authority can look them over.
Unsatisfactory inspection and maintenance test reports must reach the fire authority within 5 working days. Decide now who will send those reports, so the deadline does not slip by.
Rules for schools, hotels, and fire watch
Certain properties carry extra requirements:
| Building | Rule |
|---|---|
| Schools | Fire alarm systems get tested and logged every month |
| Hotels with more than one story and 20 or more guest rooms | Must have sprinklers |
In some situations the code requires a fire watch, and the fire authority doesn't cover the cost.
Fire extinguisher inspections
Here is what one Hawaii state contract asked for when the state hired a company to service its extinguishers; these are contract terms, not rules for every building, but they make a useful checklist when you hire someone. On that contract, extinguisher servicing must follow NFPA 10, and technicians must hold the licensing or certification specified in NFPA 10 and NFPA 1962. This state project also requires the contractor to hold a current Hawaii license in the proper classification.
- Inspection tags have to be kept current.
- When extinguishers go off site for servicing, temporary stand-ins have to be supplied.
- New extinguishers have to be UL-Listed.
- Every extinguisher needs a service record listing upcoming maintenance deadlines.
On that state project, the annual inspections had to be done within 30 calendar days after work was authorized.
Getting your building ready
- Confirm which edition and county amendments apply to your building.
- Before scheduling service, ask what qualifications the work requires and confirm that the people doing it have them.
- Store every report and service record somewhere easy to find.
- Get any failed report to the fire authority inside 5 working days.
For questions about a Honolulu building, call Codes Enforcement.