Property in special flood hazard areas in Honolulu now comes with a stricter set of building rules after the City Council unanimously passed an overhaul of the city’s Flood Hazard Area Ordinance.
The update was driven by urgency: Bill 34 (2026) needed to pass before new federal flood maps took effect, or Honolulu risked suspension from the National Flood Insurance Program.
The ordinance itself spells out the consequence directly: failure to participate “will result in the denial of federal financial assistance for acquisition and construction purposes, and will jeopardize the making, securing, extension, and renewal of loans secured by improved real estate.”…