The following testimony was submitted by the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii on Feb. 6, 2026, for consideration by the House Committees on Housing and Water and Land.
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Feb. 6, 2026, 8:45 a.m.
Hawaii State Capitol
Conference Room 430 and Videoconference
To: House Committee on Housing
Rep. Luke Evslin, Chair
Rep. Tyson Miyake, Vice Chair
House Committee on Water and Land
Rep. Mark Hashem, Chair
Rep. Dee Morikawa, Vice Chair
From: Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
Ted Kefalas, Director of Strategic Campaigns
RE: TESTIMONY IN SUPPORT OF HB1742 — RELATING TO HOUSING
Aloha Chairs, Vice Chairs and other members of the Committees,
The Grassroot Institute of Hawaii supports HB1742, which would establish a framework for regulating and permitting self-contained, relocatable housing — in other words, homes that can be moved without being disassembled.
These units would give Hawaii residents more housing options and could help families more easily attain homeownership, perhaps through buying a self-contained, movable home and a small plot of land while saving money for a site-built home.
This bill would require these homes to meet various federal rules for prefabricated homes and comply with local building codes. These homes would also have to be able to operate with independent power, sewer and water systems, which would make them perfect for rural or off-grid living.
Last, the bill would establish a permitting process for self-contained housing and require that the counties issue ministerial zoning permits for such housing within 30 days of receiving a complete application.
Hawaii’s slow permitting process discourages innovative housing options such as the ones mentioned in this bill. According to the Economic Research Organization at the University of Hawai‘i, the average permitting wait time across the state for single-family homes was 188 days over the past five years.[1]
The state also suffers from a shortage of skilled tradespeople, which causes housing projects to take longer and cost more.[2]
Creating a streamlined permitting process for homes such as these would especially help Lahaina residents who were affected by the August 2023 wildfires. People displaced by those fires could live in one of these units while waiting for building permits, then rent it out once their permanent homes are complete.
Thank you for the opportunity to testify.
Ted Kefalas
Director of Strategic Campaigns
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
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[1] Daniela Bond-Smith, Trey Gordner, Rachel Inafuku. et al., “The Hawaii Housing Factbook 2025,” Economic Research Organization at the University of Hawai‘i, May 14, 2025, p. 27.
[2] “Hawai‘i Skilled Trades Workforce Analysis,” Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii, May 2023.
