Chicago’s Proposed Multi-Unit Building Single Staircase Ordinance
Chicago’s City Council is considering relaxing the city’s building code, which currently requires two staircases in all residential buildings three stories or taller. The proposed ordinance (2025-0017571) would allow new construction buildings up to five stories to have only one staircase.
The purpose of the ordinance is to allow Chicago developers to build denser multi-unit buildings, creating thousands of new homes and increasing the supply of affordable housing in Chicago. Proponents of the ordinance point out that smaller or oddly shaped lots are more likely to be used for multi-unit development if Chicago removes the requirement for two staircases. The new ordinance would require all multi-unit buildings with a single staircase that are over three stories to install sprinkler systems.
Chicago’s current building code requires residential buildings three stories or taller to have two staircases. An external rear porch staircase and an interior staircase meet the current City of Chicago ordinance requirement.
On June 4th, opponents of the proposed ordinance voiced their concerns to the Chicago City Council. The ordinance’s opponents pointed out that the original intent of the current ordinance requiring two staircases was to preserve life in emergency situations such as residential fires. Erik Steinmetz, President of the Chicago Firefighters Union, told the City Council, “A second stairway is not an architectural luxury; it’s a life safety feature”. A life safety feature that provides occupants with a second chance of escape when the first staircase is inaccessible or compromised by structural failure or fire.
James McDonough, Deputy Commissioner of the Chicago Fire Department, told the City Council that two stairwells are vital for emergency response during fires. One stairwell is used to evacuate building occupants, while the other is used simultaneously by Firefighters to search for trapped or unconscious occupants and to stage for fire suppression operations.
Mariene Hopkins, the Commissioner of Chicago’s Department of Buildings, voiced her concerns to the City Council that the proposed ordinance could jeopardize the safety of building residents and firefighters, and that overreliance on fire sprinklers is not sound policy because sprinkler systems can fail or perform poorly during an emergency.
For more information regarding the proposed ordinance (2025-0017571) and how it may affect you or your business, please contact the qualified attorneys at Rock Fusco & Connelly, LLC.