Can Fewer Stair Save Your Project?

California AB 835 was signed into law in October 2023 and it directs the State Fire Marshal to research and develop recommendations for building standards that would allow “single stair” multifamily buildings above three stories, then report back to the legislature and the California Building Standards Commission.

So this is not yet a statewide code change that suddenly makes single stair buildings legal everywhere tomorrow. It is a state-driven pathway to rewrite a very specific rule that has shaped apartment design for decades.

And that rule is simple: once you go above a small building size, most codes require two enclosed stairways. That requirement drives the floor plate, the building core, the hallway length, the number of units you can fit, and the economics of what is even possible on a narrow or oddly shaped lot.

Any time you touch fire and life safety code, you will get pushback, and some of it will be sincere and valid.

The pro-single-stair argument is that many global cities allow this form safely with modern fire suppression, compartmentalization, smoke control, alarms, and design standards. There is ample research pointing to a strong safety record for small single stair apartment buildings and arguing the U.S. code is out of step with the evidence.

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