HRS Chapter 343 (HEPA — EA / EIS)
HRS Chapter 343 is Hawaiʻi's environmental review law — the Hawaiʻi Environmental Policy Act (HEPA). It requires an Environmental Assessment (EA), and potentially an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), when a project hits certain triggers, such as using state or county land or funds, or work within specific districts.
The triggers are about the project's nexus to public resources — not merely its size. Use of state or county lands or funds, work in the Conservation District or a shoreline area, and certain other listed actions can pull a project into Chapter 343 review, which files through the approving agency and the State Environmental Review Program rather than the county permit counter.
An EA can resolve with a Finding of No Significant Impact or escalate to a full EIS, which is a substantial addition to a project's timeline. It is a separate process from a building permit and from §6E historic review, though they often run in parallel.
Whether a parcel's likely project trips HRS §343 changes the entitlement timeline substantially. Screening for the triggers — state land or funds, Conservation District, shoreline — tells you early whether an EA/EIS is on the critical path.
Under HRS Chapter 343, triggers include using state or county lands or funds, work in the Conservation District or a shoreline area, and other listed actions — the project's nexus to public resources, not just its size.
This is a plain-language reference, not legal advice. KILO is a pre-development screening tool, not a system of record — confirm any determination with the agency of jurisdiction.