Policy: Single stair buildings

Currently, the US and Canada are alone in the world in requiring that apartment buildings over 3 stories have two stairway exits. This makes small apartment buildings (4-6 stories or with small floor plates) very inefficient and expensive to build, as two exits requires a hallway through the building. This is a key reason why apartment buildings are so much larger in the US. Apartment buildings with only one stair access are typically referred to as point access blocks or single stair buildings. The second stairwell was implemented as a safety feature many years ago, but there is no evidence with modern safety features and materials that a second stairwell increases safety, especially if it results in requiring larger buildings. In 2023, the state passed AB 835 directing the Fire Marshall to assess the safety of single stair buildings up to 6 stories, and now many jurisdictions in California are starting to implement this code. More information is available here.