Denver committee advances building and fire code changes to allow single‑stair apartment buildings

Denver’s Community Planning and Housing Committee on Nov. 4 voted to advance a set of building‑ and fire‑code updates to the full City Council that would let certain multistory apartment buildings use a single stair, adopt state wildland‑urban interface maps, and streamline several permitting requirements.

Eric Browning, chief building official for Community Planning and Development, told the committee the package reflects more than a year of research and coordination with Denver Fire and follows recent state and model‑code developments. “What we have, be presenting this afternoon is a culmination of all of the research,” Browning said, noting the local language “primarily matches that of the state” while adding some Denver‑specific allowances.

Under the proposed rule, single‑stair residential buildings could be built up to five stories (or four stories with an occupied rooftop deck) provided they meet life‑safety criteria Browning described.…