How Act 228 was passed is beyond me.  This bill is very flawed and will cause the process of obtaining building permits to slow down even more.  This was a great article by the way.

Here is the general info on this;

Act 228, which took effect in July after little public input, requires that property owners submit black-and-white archival prints to the State Historic Preservation Division of the Department of Land and Natural Resources before county building permits can be issued for work on buildings at least 50 years old.

The article says this could effect roughly 100,000 homes state-wide. 

The idea was to preserve Hawaii’s historic architecture, which is “disappearing at and alarming rate.”  The problem is that probably 99% of homes that would qualify in Hawaii  are single wall construction homes and not of very historic significance.  The law, is trying to preserve a select few historic homes by effecting a huge number of homes that should not be considered historic, in the meantime severely slowing the process down for improving some of these very homes that probably need improving to beautify the neighborhood.

And here is a shocker:

A factor in the difficult situation is chronic short staffing at the Historic Preservation Division and the city Department of Planning and Permitting, neither of which sought the new photo requirements.

How will it effect values of homes 50 years old or more?  Imagine you are a buyer and you really like a home that was built over 50 years ago, but it clearly needs some attention.  Will you be willing to buy that home, knowing you will have a long road and battle ahead? or will you forgoe that home to purchase one that will be less of a headache?