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Denver staff brief council on draft rules for single‑stair housing ahead of state law
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Summary
City building and fire officials presented draft Denver code recommendations to allow limited single‑stair residential buildings (proposed up to five stories) and outlined safety requirements — including NFPA 13 sprinklers and wider stair width — while councilmembers pressed for cost and zoning data.
Denver building and fire officials on Monday briefed the City Council’s Budget & Policy Committee on draft local regulations to allow limited single‑stair residential buildings, saying the state law that enables the approach does not take effect until Dec. 1, 2027, but the city could adopt rules sooner.
Eric Browning, Chief Building Official in the Department of Community Planning and Development, said the draft recommendations are closely modeled on the state legislation but are not yet formal code language. He told the committee staff are exploring standards to limit risk while enabling new housing forms, including proposed dimensional and occupancy caps: up to five stories (or four stories plus an occupied roof), a typical limit of four dwelling units per floor, a 6,000‑square‑foot maximum floor plate and a preference for no more than two buildings per lot.
Lieutenant Johnson of the Denver Fire Department outlined operational and life‑safety requirements the department would expect for single‑stair structures: full NFPA 13 sprinkler protection, a wider stair (staff referenced a 54‑inch draft width), short travel distances from unit doors to the stair, pressurized stairwells where appropriate, rated fire shafts and controls on common‑area hazards such as receptacles to limit lithium‑ion battery fires. Johnson said early detection, robust alarm transmission and immediate dispatch are crucial to protect occupants and allow an aggressive interior firefighting response.
Browning said CPD’s zoning study identified roughly 6,000 parcels that could potentially support the building type under current zone districts and forms, but only about 7 percent of those parcels are vacant; many opportunities would rely on redevelopment. He acknowledged the draft standards are intended to be conservative to harden buildings and enable safe occupancy even where a single stair is the only interior egress.
Councilmembers focused questions on affordability, feasibility and local control. Several asked staff to prepare a cost matrix estimating incremental construction costs for a five‑story, 20‑unit example building under the proposed provisions, noting that measures such as noncombustible construction requirements, wider stairs and higher‑grade sprinkler systems will raise upfront costs and could affect whether developers choose the single‑stair option.
Members also asked for clearer mapping methodology. CPD said the map shown to the committee looks at districts where a five‑story residential building would be permitted; councilmembers requested a revised map with a legend and parcel‑level detail for review.
Browning and fire staff said they expect to return with more refined code language and analyses. No formal legislation was proposed at the briefing; sponsors and staff indicated the matter will come back to committee for additional review once fiscal and zoning follow‑up materials are available.
