This amendment removes school impact fees for most housing projects smaller than 500 units and clarifies when developers must give land or pay a fee instead.
Hawaii2026Enacted
HB1713
Exempting Small Housing Projects from School Impact Fees
Last scannedAug 24, 2026, 11:30 PM
In one sentence
This law exempts new residential housing projects with fewer than one hundred units from school impact fees to help lower building costs.
What it does
- Removes the requirement for developers of small housing projects (fewer than 100 dwelling units) to pay school impact fees.
- Clarifies that subdivisions or phases of a development count as one project so developers cannot split them to avoid rules.
- Keeps existing agreements between developers and schools in place unless both sides agree to change them.
- Sets an end date for this law on July 1, 2029.
Who it affects
- Developers building new residential housing projects with fewer than one hundred dwelling units
- The Department of Education and School Facilities Authority regarding existing agreements
Limits and unknowns
- The law ends on July 1, 2029.
- Developers cannot artificially subdivide a project to avoid paying fees if it would otherwise be subject to them.
Plain language
Terms to know
- School Impact Fee
- A charge designed to ensure that new developments contribute toward school facilities needed for enrollment growth.
- Educational Contribution Agreement
- An agreement where a developer contributes school sites or pays fees for land and construction instead of the standard fee.
Official record
Sources
Official summary
RELATING TO SCHOOL IMPACT FEES. School Impact Fees; Residential Development; Land Dedication Exemptions Expands exemptions from school impact fee requirement for certain housing developments. Clarifies procedures and timing for land dedication or fee‑in‑lieu agreements for new residential developments. Repeals the sunset and reporting requirements under Act 268, SLH 2025. Restructures certain school impact fee accounts. Preserves existing educational contribution agreements. (CD1)
Official activity
Bill history
- Act 241, on 07/13/2026 (Gov. Msg. No. 1343).H
- Act 241, 07/13/2026 (Gov. Msg. No. 1343).S
- Received notice of passage on Final Reading in House (Hse. Com. No. 888).S
- Transmitted to Governor.H
- Received notice of Final Reading (Sen. Com. No. 816).H
- Passed Final Reading as amended in CD 1 with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and none excused (0).H
- Passed Final Reading, as amended (CD 1). Ayes, 25; Aye(s) with reservations: none . 0 No(es): none. 0 Excused: none.S
- 48 Hrs. Notice (as amended CD 1) 05-06-26S
- Reported from Conference Committee as amended CD 1 (Conf. Com. Rep. No. 132-26).S
- Forty-eight (48) hours notice Wednesday, 05-06-26.H
- Reported from Conference Committee (Conf Com. Rep. No. 132-26) as amended in (CD 1).H
- The Conference Committee recommends that the measure be Passed, with Amendments. The votes were as follows: 3 Ayes: Representative(s) Evslin, Miyake, Muraoka; Ayes with reservations: none; 0 Noes: none; and 0 Excused: none.H
- The Conference committee recommends that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes of the Senate Conference Managers were as follows: 3 Aye(s): Senator(s) Chang, Kim, Hashimoto; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 0 Excused: none.S
- Conference Committee Meeting will reconvene on Friday 05-01-26 10:00AM in conference room 224.H
- Conference Committee Meeting will reconvene on Thursday 04-30-26 10:00AM in conference room 224.H
- Conference Committee Meeting will reconvene on Wednesday 04-29-26 10:00AM in conference room 224.H
- Conference Committee Meeting will reconvene on Tuesday 04-28-26 10:05AM in conference room 224.H
- Conference Committee Meeting will reconvene on Monday 04-27-26 10:05AM in conference room 224.H
- Bill scheduled for Conference Committee Meeting on Friday, 04-24-26 10:05AM in conference room 224.H
- Received notice of Senate conferees (Sen. Com. No. 717).H
Changes
Amendments
3 stored
This amendment removes the requirement to pay school impact fees when building new homes in Hawaii and cancels specific accounts that held money collected from those fees.
This amendment aims to stop the state from charging school impact fees on new housing projects and moves existing money into a general fund for building schools.