Senate Bill S10501

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   10501
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                               May 15, 2026
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by Sen. BOTTCHER -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Housing, Construction  and
   Community Development
 
 AN  ACT  to  amend  the executive law, in relation to authorizing single
   stairway residential buildings in a city having a  population  of  one
   million or more

   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Legislative findings. The legislature finds that  New  York
 state faces a severe housing shortage, particularly for small and moder-
 ately sized multifamily buildings.
   Current  building  codes  generally  require  two means of egress (two
 stairways) for most residential buildings  above  three  stories,  which
 increases  construction  costs,  limits feasible building types on small
 and irregular lots, and reduces the number of units that can be built.
   Jurisdictions including Texas, Colorado, Washington, Germany and Swed-
 en permit single stairway residential buildings under modern fire safety
 standards.
   Evidence shows that single stairway buildings can be constructed safe-
 ly when paired with  fire-resistant  construction,  automatic  sprinkler
 systems,  smoke control and compartmentalization. Allowing single stair-
 way buildings will enable family-sized apartments, unlock  small  infill
 sites, and support contextual, mid-rise housing in urban areas.
   § 2. Subdivision 20 of section 378 of the executive law, as renumbered
 by section 3 of part RR of chapter 56 of the laws of 2023, is renumbered
 subdivision 21 and a new subdivision 20 is added to read as follows:
   20.  STANDARDS  PERMITTING SINGLE STAIRWAY RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS UP TO
 SIX STORIES OR SEVENTY-FIVE FEET IN HEIGHT, WHICHEVER IS LESS IN A  CITY
 HAVING  A  POPULATION  OF  ONE  MILLION OR MORE. SUCH BUILDINGS SHALL BE
 PERMITTED IN ANY ZONING DISTRICT THAT  ALLOWS  MULTI-FAMILY  RESIDENTIAL
 USE  AND  WITHOUT  ANY  ADDITIONAL  DISCRETIONARY APPROVAL SOLELY DUE TO
 HAVING ONE STAIRCASE.
   A. SINGLE STAIRWAY BUILDINGS MUST COMPLY WITH ALL OF THE FOLLOWING:
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD15899-01-6
              

 S. 10501                            2
 
   (I) AN AUTOMATIC SPRINKLER OR SYSTEMS MUST BE PRESENT AND  OPERATIONAL
 THROUGHOUT THE BUILDING;
   (II)  THE BUILDING MUST HAVE A FIRE-RESISTANCE RATING OF NOT LESS THAN
 TWO HOURS FOR STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS;
   (III) MAXIMUM TRAVEL DISTANCE LIMITS WITHIN THE BUILDING ARE  CONSIST-
 ENT WITH INTERNATIONAL BUILDING CODE BEST PRACTICES;
   (IV) THE STAIRCASE MUST BE SMOKE-PROOF OR MECHANICALLY VENTILATED;
   (V) THERE ARE NO MORE THAN FOUR DWELLING UNITS PER FLOOR;
   (VI)  THE BUILDING ALLOWS ADEQUATE EMERGENCY RESPONDER ACCESS, INCLUD-
 ING FIRE DEPARTMENT ACCESS PANELS OR BALCONIES  AND  APPROPRIATE  WINDOW
 SIZE AND PLACEMENT REQUIREMENTS FOR ACCESS;
   (VII) THE UNIT LAYOUT ENSURES DIRECT ACCESS TO THE STAIRWAY; AND
   (VIII) THE BUILDING CONTAINS NO EXCESSIVE DEAD-END CORRIDORS.
   B. AS USED IN THIS SUBDIVISION, "SINGLE STAIRWAY RESIDENTIAL BUILDING"
 MEANS  A RESIDENTIAL BUILDING THAT CONTAINS ONE INTERIOR ENCLOSED STAIR-
 WAY SERVING ALL DWELLING UNITS AND THAT MEETS  ALL  SAFETY  REQUIREMENTS
 ESTABLISHED UNDER THIS SECTION.
   C. NO MUNICIPALITY WITHIN A CITY HAVING A POPULATION OF ONE MILLION OR
 MORE  MAY  PROHIBIT  SINGLE-STAIR RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS THAT COMPLY WITH
 THIS SUBDIVISION, OR IMPOSE ADDITIONAL EGRESS REQUIREMENTS CONTAINED  IN
 THIS  SUBDIVISION.  SUCH  MUNICIPALITIES  MAY  ADOPT OBJECTIVE SAFETY OR
 DESIGN STANDARDS, PROVIDED THEY DO NOT EFFECTIVELY PROHIBIT SUCH  BUILD-
 INGS.  THE  NEW  YORK  CITY  BUILDING  CODE MAY ADOPT EQUIVALENT OR MORE
 PERMISSIVE PROVISIONS, BUT NOT MORE RESTRICTIVE ONES.
   D. WITHIN TWELVE MONTHS OF THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF THIS SUBDIVISION, THE
 COUNCIL  SHALL  PROMULGATE  RULES  AND  REGULATIONS  TO  IMPLEMENT   THE
 PROVISIONS  OF THIS SUBDIVISION. SUCH RULES AND REGULATIONS SHALL INCOR-
 PORATE INTERNATIONAL BUILDING CODE STANDARDS  AND  BEST  PRACTICES  FROM
 OTHER U.S. STATES AND EUROPEAN COUNTRIES.
   §  3.  Severability.  If any clause, sentence, paragraph, subdivision,
 section or part of this act shall be adjudged by any court of  competent
 jurisdiction  to  be invalid, such judgment shall not affect, impair, or
 invalidate the remainder thereof, but shall be confined in its operation
 to the clause, sentence, paragraph, subdivision, section or part thereof
 directly involved in the controversy in which such judgment  shall  have
 been rendered. It is hereby declared to be the intent of the legislature
 that  this  act  would have been enacted even if such invalid provisions
 had not been included herein.
   § 4. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after
 it shall have become a law.