Single-Stair Reform Was Set to Happen in CT. Why is it Dead?

3/26/26

This week, we learned the disappointing news that the Connecticut General Assembly is repealing its 2024 single-stair reform law, a common, safe regulatory change that would have permitted more housing on smaller lots. Connecticut currently allows single-stair housing to be three stories tall, and this new code called for raising it to four stories. That’s it! Higher floor limits (often up to six stories) are legal across the nation, helping create more homes. While the first Department of Administrative Services proposal to implement single-stair in the 2026 Connecticut building codes was overly restrictive, we fought for a better reform and were happy to see the Department of Administrative Services settle on a sensible compromise that planned to permit four-story single-stair buildings in Connecticut. Despite evidence that single-stair buildings are overwhelmingly safe, some fire officials have entirely opposed implementing any single-stair reform. Nonetheless, the Joint Council of Connecticut Fire Service Organizations ultimately released a letter agreeing with the compromise. 

Despite the compromise, some local fire marshals continued to crusade against single-stair reform, directly contacting legislators on the Legislative Regulation Review Committee who are responsible for making the final approval on the new Department of Administrative Services building codes. As a result of this pressure, single-stair is now suddenly being dropped from the new building codes, and lawmakers are repealing the 2024 reform. It appears that many local fire marshals were not acting in good faith, opposing the compromise reform even though it has been safely executed across the nation. The vast majority of residential fires take place in single-family homes or older multifamily buildings, making new multifamily, including single-stair, among the safest types of buildings.

While we are happy that the new building codes will include changes to allow more triplexes and quadplexes across Connecticut—key missing middle housing types—this failure to implement single-stair reform is a huge, unnecessary step backwards that will force us to start over entirely. 

Single-stair and other sensible building code reforms will happen in Connecticut eventually. And we’ll get new safe homes built for the thousands of people, including fire fighters, that need them. Fire professionals that want to serve the public interest will 100% be part of that. In meantime, I sincerely welcome the Joint Council of Connecticut Fire Service Organizations concerns about fire safety and will happily look for their proposal to inspect all 1-2 family homes in Connecticut that represent 80% of fire fatalities and are currently exempt from inspections!

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