Live Christmas trees will be allowed in hotel lobbies, larger restaurants and other assembly areas this holiday season, provided those settings have sprinklers in place, under a compromise proposal reached among businesses, the Honolulu Fire Department and the Honolulu City Council.

The changes are included in Bill 56, slated for a final vote at Wednesday’s City Council meeting.

Since 2010, when the department adopted a new fire code, fresh cut trees have been banned in hotels, condo lobbies and similar places because of concerns they could dry out and ignite. But the department began strict enforcement of the prohibition only this year.

The Council Budget Committee on Oct. 20 approved a new version of the bill that allows natural, cut trees to be displayed in hotels and "assembly occupancies" provided the trees are treated with a fire retardant and the facilities have working sprinklers.

Fire Department officials had previously objected strenuously to a version of the bill that would have allowed natural cut trees in all assembly areas as long as they are treated with fire retardant, with no mention of sprinklers.

A place of public assembly is defined in the bill as a place where 50 or more people gather for "deliberation, worship, entertainment, eating, drinking, amusement, awaiting transportation or similar uses." That includes some auditoriums, courtrooms, college classrooms, conference rooms, exhibition halls, movie theaters, passenger stations, mortuaries, churches, assembly halls, ballrooms, museums and bowling alleys.

Honolulu Assistant Fire Chief Socrates Bratakos said at the Budget Committee meeting that all hotels already have sprinklers as required by the National Fire Protection Association.

"Most of the big assemblies — the big restaurants, churches, everything in a mall or bank building — they’re all sprinklered," Bratakos said. Where the trees would not be allowed are nightclubs, bars and "other places where egress is sometimes limited, where people are impaired and there’s a danger to the public," he said.

The U.S. sees about 300 Christmas tree fires annually, he said. The language in the version of the bill on Wednesday’s agenda offers "a minimum standard."

Representatives from both the American Resort Development Association and the Hawai’i Lodging and Tourism Association applauded the change that would allow trees in hotel assembly areas.

Henry Perez, Hawaii chairman of the American Resort Development Association and general manager of Hilton Grand Vacations at the Hilton Hawaiian Village, said many guests travel to be in Hawaii for the holidays, "and to see the joy of them taking pictures in front of those trees, and the family celebrations and reunions, are amazing," Perez said.

Councilman Ikaika Anderson raised the issue of allowing fresh cut trees after hearing from restaurateurs and other businesses troubled that fire officials were cracking down.

Anderson said he would have preferred language allowing more areas to be included but said he supports the compromise.

Bill 56 also involves amending the city fire code to adopt language in the state fire code, a point Bratakos emphasized.

"You’re moving forward to make a safer community because the fire code, the building code, the electrical code, the energy efficiency code, the plumbing code all work together," Bratakos said.