Kauai County, HI Hurricane Preparedness: Flood Elevation (2026)

Appendix U, Hawai'i Hurricane Sheltering Provisions for New Construction, was added to the International Building Code by Kaua'i County Code Section 12-2.2(66). Its Section U103 covers Section 430, State- and County-Owned Public High Occupancy Buildings, Design Criteria for Enhanced Hurricane Protection Areas, which applies to Risk Category III and IV public buildings occupied during hurricanes up to Saffir-Simpson Category 3, including assembly buildings with an occupant load over 300, health care facilities with 50 or more resident patients, and any public building holding more than 5,000 occupants.

Section 430.3.1 requires these buildings to comply with ASCE 24-14 for Risk Category III and sets two elevation numbers tied specifically to hurricane storm surge: the floor slab on grade must sit at least 1.5 feet above the base flood elevation on the county's flood hazard map, or higher if a storm-surge and wave-action model for a Category 3 hurricane or the 500-year flood requires it. Where an elevated first floor is approved inside a V or Coastal A flood zone, the bottom of the lowest structural framing member must clear the base flood elevation by at least 2 feet, using the same storm-surge modeling floor.

The same section requires the building's emergency vehicle access route to stay above the 100-year flood elevation and keeps the building at least 1,000 feet from any hazardous material facility. Because the appendix targets designated shelters and other public high-occupancy buildings rather than private homes, the Building Division applies it only when a state or county project falls within Section 430's stated occupancy and risk-category scope.