Proposed law would overturn community and neighborhood rules against hanging laundry outside

A bill pending in the state Senate seeks to protect homeowners’ right to hang laundry on a line.

Sen. Les Ihara (D, Kahala-Palolo), who introduced the bill with the support of the Sierra Club, says this is the right time for such a bill, given the high costs of energy and concerns over global warming.

While many homeowners associations prohibit or restrict the use of clotheslines, mostly for aesthetic reasons, supporters of the bill say that line drying can save a household 10 percent of its energy costs.

Jeff Mikulina, director of Sierra Club Hawaii, calls it the “right to dry” bill.

The bill, which was scheduled for a conference committee meeting this morning, says association rules cannot be so restrictive as to make line drying difficult for a single-family home or townhome owner.

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(Source: Nina Wu, Honolulu Star-Bulletin)