New York S 10501: Authorizes single stairway residential buildings in a city having a population of one million of more

Bill Text

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S10501 Summary:

BILL NOS10501 

&nbsp

SAME ASNo Same As

&nbsp

SPONSORBOTTCHER

&nbsp

COSPNSR

&nbsp

MLTSPNSR

&nbsp

Amd §378, Exec L

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Directs the state fire prevention and building code council to develop standards permitting single stairway residential buildings up to six stories or seventy-five feet in height in a city having a population of one million or more.

Go to top S10501 Actions:

BILL NOS10501 

&nbsp

05/15/2026REFERRED TO HOUSING, CONSTRUCTION AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

Go to topS10501 Committee&nbspVotes:

Go to topS10501 Floor&nbspVotes:

There are no Assembly votes for this bill in this legislative session.

Go to topS10501 Text:

 STATE OF NEW YORK
 ________________________________________________________________________

 10501

 IN SENATE

 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:

 1 Section 1. Legislative findings. The legislature finds that New York
 2 state faces a severe housing shortage, particularly for small and moder-
 3 ately sized multifamily buildings.
 4 Current building codes generally require two means of egress (two
 5 stairways) for most residential buildings above three stories, which
 6 increases construction costs, limits feasible building types on small
 7 and irregular lots, and reduces the number of units that can be built.
 8 Jurisdictions including Texas, Colorado, Washington, Germany and Swed-
 9 en permit single stairway residential buildings under modern fire safety
 10 standards.
 11 Evidence shows that single stairway buildings can be constructed safe-
 12 ly when paired with fire-resistant construction, automatic sprinkler
 13 systems, smoke control and compartmentalization. Allowing single stair-
 14 way buildings will enable family-sized apartments, unlock small infill
 15 sites, and support contextual, mid-rise housing in urban areas.
 16 § 2. Subdivision 20 of section 378 of the executive law, as renumbered
 17 by section 3 of part RR of chapter 56 of the laws of 2023, is renumbered
 18 subdivision 21 and a new subdivision 20 is added to read as follows:
 19 20. Standards permitting single stairway residential buildings up to
 20 six stories or seventy-five feet in height, whichever is less in a city
 21 having a population of one million or more. Such buildings shall be
 22 permitted in any zoning district that allows multi-family residential
 23 use and without any additional discretionary approval solely due to
 24 having one staircase.
 25 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

 1 (i) an automatic sprinkler or systems must be present and operational
 2 throughout the building;
 3 (ii) the building must have a fire-resistance rating of not less than
 4 two hours for structural elements;
 5 (iii) maximum travel distance limits within the building are consist-
 6 ent with International Building Code best practices;
 7 (iv) the staircase must be smoke-proof or mechanically ventilated;
 8 (v) there are no more than four dwelling units per floor;
 9 (vi) the building allows adequate emergency responder access, includ-
 10 ing fire department access panels or balconies and appropriate window
 11 size and placement requirements for access;
 12 (vii) the unit layout ensures direct access to the stairway; and
 13 (viii) the building contains no excessive dead-end corridors.
 14 b. As used in this subdivision, "single stairway residential building"
 15 means a residential building that contains one interior enclosed stair-
 16 way serving all dwelling units and that meets all safety requirements
 17 established under this section.
 18 c. No municipality within a city having a population of one million or
 19 more may prohibit single-stair residential buildings that comply with
 20 this subdivision, or impose additional egress requirements cont