Report Title:

Inspections By The County Fire Chief Or The Chief's Designees

 

Description:

Authorizes a county fire chief's designees to inspect, investigate, and examine any building that the fire chief is authorized to inspect, investigate, and examine.

 

THE SENATE

S.B. NO.

1590

TWENTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2001

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 


 

A BILL FOR AN ACT

 

relating to inspections by the county fire chief or the chief's designees.

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

SECTION 1. Section 132-5, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended to read as follows:

"§132-5 Right of entry for inspection; unlawful to obstruct. The county fire chief or the chief's designees may at all reasonable hours enter any buildings, structures, or premises within the fire chief's jurisdiction, except the interior of private dwellings, to make any inspection, investigation, or examination which is authorized to be made under this chapter. The county fire chief or the chief's designees may enter any private dwelling whenever the fire chief [has] or the chief's designees have reason to believe that dangerous conditions creating a fire hazard exist in the dwelling. The county fire chief [or any member of any fire department] or the chief's designees may enter any private dwelling when a fire has occurred in the dwelling. It shall be unlawful to obstruct, hinder, or delay any person having the right to make the inspection, investigation, or examination in the performance of duty.

The county fire chief or the chief's designees shall make an [annual] inspection of all [state] state-owned or [county] county-owned buildings and facilities, the frequency of which shall be made in accordance with section 132-6, and shall make a report to the authorities responsible for the maintenance of any state-owned or county-owned building or facility when it is found that a building or facility does not meet minimum standards of fire and safety protection."

SECTION 2. Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken. New statutory material is underscored.

SECTION 3. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

INTRODUCED BY:

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