Maximum daily fine rises to $5,000 for messy yards

Property owners who persistently leave trash or excessive overgrowth on their land, beware!

Ignoring repeated city warnings and fines will now cost scofflaws as much as $5,000 a day, under an ordinance signed into law Friday by Mayor Kirk Caldwell.

Caldwell and Councilman Stanley Chang, who introduced the bill, both stressed that the consequences would be applied only to the worst repeat offenders.

While many have dubbed the bill the Gen­shiro Kawa­moto Bill because of the hefty fines the Japa­nese billionaire has accumulated as a result of the trash, debris and overgrown weeds on his 21 Kahala residential properties, Chang said the problem is more widespread.

"Property blight is one of the top issues facing Oahu neighborhoods. It’s an issue that affects every part of this island from Kahala to Waikiki to Hawaii Kai to Kaimuki to Hauula," Chang said.

The bill increases the maximum fine the Department of Planning and Permitting can issue for an overgrown or trashy yard to $5,000 a day, up from the current $1,000 a day. The measure also allows the department to notify owners of violations via the local newspaper or by certified or registered mail.

"So many of us around this island work so hard to maintain our properties in pristine condition, to make them a beautiful place but also a safe place where you don’t have rodents, rats, mongoose, mosquitos and those kinds of things," Caldwell said. It takes only a few uncaring owners "that really spoil it for everybody else and not only cause visual blight, but health and safety issues, too."

The worst offenders are "going to feel the full measure of the law now — $5,000 every day, it adds up pretty darn quickly," Caldwell said.

A city official said Friday that Kawa­­moto has had 67 notices of violations issued against him and his properties, all of which have been corrected. Most have had to do with overgrowth or debris. Kawa­­moto has one $50 fine outstanding, the Planning Department said.