{"id":48453,"date":"2026-04-08T00:20:12","date_gmt":"2026-04-07T21:20:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mk.gen.tr\/california-steps-up-reform-to-join-the-single-stair-bandwagon\/"},"modified":"2026-04-08T00:20:12","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T21:20:12","slug":"california-steps-up-reform-to-join-the-single-stair-bandwagon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mk.gen.tr\/en\/california-steps-up-reform-to-join-the-single-stair-bandwagon\/","title":{"rendered":"California steps up reform to join the single-stair bandwagon"},"content":{"rendered":"

California lawmakers have been at the forefront of zoning reforms to increase housing supply and affordability.<\/p>\n

New legislation filed Tuesday would put the state on the path to joining single-stair reform that other states and cities have already adopted.<\/p>\n

Assemblymember Alex Lee\u2019s newly filed bill proposes increasing housing construction by reforming California\u2019s building code to allow mid-rise apartment buildings with a single staircase.<\/p>\n

Under Assembly Bill 2252, the Department of Housing and Community Development must propose building standards for multifamily residential buildings up to six stories with one stairway.<\/p>\n

Doubling the height to six stories has been a common approach<\/a> nationally. Washington, D.C., council members are one step away from final approval<\/a> to relax building codes for six-story midrise buildings. Colorado, Texas, Montana and New Hampshire are among the states that have made the switch.<\/p>\n

The Assembly Committee on Housing and Community Development will hear AB 2252 on April 22.<\/p>\n

Another step in affordability<\/h2>\n

California lawmakers have enacted sweeping zoning reforms over the past several years to boost housing construction and ease persistent affordability pressures statewide. Dozens of state pre-emption bills have overridden local barriers to legalize accessory dwelling units, missing-middle housing, and denser infill development near transit.<\/p>\n

Lee\u2019s proposal targets a longstanding rule that requires two exit stairways in apartment buildings taller than three stories. Supporters say the requirement prevents developers from building efficient mid-rise housing on small urban lots, even as modern fire-prevention technology has improved safety.<\/p>\n

\u201cStairway requirements can have a profound effect on what does and does not get built in our neighborhoods,\u201d Lee said in a statement. \u201cBy unlocking previously undevelopable properties, AB 2252 will bring much-needed multifamily housing to our urban neighborhoods.\u201d<\/p>\n

Advocates say single-staircase buildings could reduce construction costs by 6% to 13%, according to a Pew Research Center analysis<\/a>. They say changes could open the door to more compact housing and flexible unit layouts.<\/p>\n

Building momentum<\/h2>\n

Momentum for single-stair reform has grown nationwide. Seven states passed similar legislation in 2025. <\/p>\n

Culver City recently became the first California municipality to legalize six-story single-stair apartments. Other California cities, including San Jose and San Francisco, are studying potential reforms.<\/p>\n

In New York City and Seattle, Pew Research showed that fire fatality rates in modern single-stair buildings are similar to those in dual-stair structures. Pew researchers also concluded that adding a second stairway wouldn\u2019t have prevented the fire deaths recorded over 12 years in those cities.<\/p>\n

Dallas council members chose to go taller. The city\u2019s new code, adopted last year, allows single stairways up to eight stories.<\/p>\n

Supporters say eliminating the second stair could make many small and irregularly shaped lots easier to develop, particularly near job centers where housing demand is highest.<\/p>\n

Critics, including some building safety officials, say cities should proceed with caution until statewide standards are set. They argue that evacuation time and accessibility must remain priorities as housing density increases.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

California lawmakers have been at the forefront of zoning reforms to increase housing supply and affordability. New legislation filed Tuesday would put the state on the path to joining single-stair reform that other states and cities have already adopted. Assemblymember Alex Lee\u2019s newly filed bill proposes increasing housing construction by reforming California\u2019s building code to…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mk.gen.tr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48453"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mk.gen.tr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mk.gen.tr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mk.gen.tr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48453"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mk.gen.tr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48453\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mk.gen.tr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48453"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mk.gen.tr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48453"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mk.gen.tr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48453"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}