State yardwork untouched by law on leaf blower noise

Question: We live in a condo that faces state land, and some mornings the grounds­keeper is out blowing leaves from the parking lot as early as 6:30 a.m. I had thought there was a statute that limited such noise to no earlier than 8 a.m., but when our property management contacted the local supervisor, they were told that there is no restriction for noise after 7 a.m. and that 6:30 a.m. is no big deal. Is this correct? Do I have any other recourse?

Answer: Hawaii Revised Statutes 342F-30.8 limits the use of leaf blowers in residential zones to between the hours of 8 a.m. and 6 p.m., except on Sundays and state and federal holidays, when the hours are from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

However, government entities, and agents acting on behalf of government entities, are exempt from the law, which was adopted in 2010. When we followed up with you, you said the early-bird groundskeeper works for the state, not for a private company on behalf of your condominium association, so this law would not apply.

Still, it seems worthwhile for the property manager to follow up with the local supervisor, to encourage the grounds crew to be more neighborly. If they’re regularly using leaf blowers at 6:30 a.m., that’s a full 90 minutes earlier than allowed for private crews, not 30 minutes as you said the supervisor told your property manager.

You can read the full statute at 808ne.ws/leafblowernoise.

Q: Does the law to keep yardwork from starting too early apply to all equipment?

A: No, HRS 342F-30.8 applies only to leaf blowers used in or within 100 feet of a residential zone (and government entities are exempt, as noted in the previous question). Report potential violations to the state Department of Health’s Noise Section by calling 586-4700.

The statute defines a leaf blower as “any machine used to blow leaves, dirt, or other debris off sidewalks, driveways, lawns, and other surfaces.”

The equipment restrictions and government exemption frustrate some readers. Kokua Line receives frequent complaints about noisy lawnmowers and weed-whackers, as well.

Q: When the city says people in Housing First are less likely to be arrested, less likely than who?

A: Less likely than themselves when they were homeless, and less likely than a sample of homeless people who are not in Honolulu’s Housing First program, according to the 2017 Housing First Evaluation Snapshot conducted by University of Hawaii-Manoa researchers for the city.

Housing First lowers barriers for chronically homeless people by offering permanent, affordable apartments without requiring tenants to be sober or seeking work, education or job-training, for example. Getting a roof over the person’s head is the top priority, after which social services such as mental health treatment and substance-abuse counseling may be more effective, because the person’s location is safe, stable and known by case workers.

The city began its Housing First program in December 2014, administered by the Institute for Human Serv­ices. It has an overall housing retention rate of 89 percent after two years.

After two years in the program, Housing First clients had 61 percent fewer arrests and were incarcerated less than half as many days as they were prior to being housed, according to the review. They also were far less likely to be arrested or incarcerated than the comparison group. Petty misdemeanors accounted for 65 percent of arrests in both groups, with petty theft being the most common charge.

Researchers from the university’s Department of Psychology within the College of Social Sciences conducted the review under a contract with the city.

Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.