Virginia lawmakers are asking state officials to consider whether apartments up to six stories tall could be allowed to use a single stairwell, a change they say could reduce construction costs and help address a statewide housing gap estimated at at least 200,000 units. State Sen. Schuyler VanValkenburg and Del. Adele McClure sent recommendations Wednesday to leadership at the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development as the state prepares its next building code update.
A Once-Every-Three-Years Opportunity
Virginia revises its building code every three years, with the next update scheduled to take effect in 2027, according to Virginia Mercury. VanValkenburg, who represents Henrico, and McClure, an Alexandria delegate who also serves on the Virginia Housing Commission, say the current review is an opportunity to consider changes that could lower costs and support housing production. They argue single-stairwell buildings should be part of that review.
Virginia currently limits single-stair multifamily buildings to three stories, according to the Niskanen Center. The lawmakers are seeking a limit of six stories and 24 housing units in a building served by one stairwell, Virginia Mercury reported. The state's Board of Housing and Community Development has expressed interest in allowing single-stairway designs in some multi-unit projects. The board is expected to consider proposed regulations in December as the next code cycle approaches.
Why Lawmakers Say One Stairwell Is Enough
VanValkenburg said the reforms would cut development costs without compromising safety while adding housing units, per the Virginia Mercury account. He also pointed to narrow, oddly shaped lots that leave little room for a second stairwell — space that could otherwise go to apartments, the lawmakers argued. Adding housing stock, VanValkenburg said, is just one piece of tackling affordability and access across Virginia.
A 2021 state study found Virginia faced a shortfall of at least 200,000 affordable units, with renters earning low incomes and working essential occupations hit hardest. Research from the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission also found Black and Hispanic households were more likely to be cost-burdened than white households. VanValkenburg and McClure say single-stairwell buildings could unlock development on vacant or underused lots that wouldn't otherwise pencil out.
Fire Officials Push Back
The proposal has drawn safety objections. In May, Andrew Pantelis, vice president with the International Association of Fire Fighters, warned that fewer stairwells could pose risks to residents and firefighters. He said people escaping a fire and responders entering the building might meet in the same stairwell, creating what he called potentially fatal bottlenecks.
Evidence cited in the Virginia Mercury report points to a different safety record in some cities. The Pew Charitable Trusts found four fire-related deaths in modern single-stairway buildings in New York City and Seattle from 2012 to 2024, and said the absence of a second stairway played no role in those deaths, according to Pew. Pew also reported that New York City's more than 4,000 single-stair buildings had the same overall fire-death rate as the city's other residential buildings since 2012. The Niskanen Center points to improved materials, working smoke alarms and automatic sprinklers as major contributors to modern multifamily fire safety.
Single-stairwell designs can include additional safeguards, such as limits on building area and units per floor, along with increased sprinkler density or changes to smoke detector placement, Virginia Mercury reported. The outlet also noted that New York City, Seattle and Honolulu permit six-floor single-stairwell buildings.
What national fire statistics can show
The U.S. Fire Administration estimated an annual average of 1,900 fatal fires in U.S. residential buildings from 2018 to 2020, according to its national statistics. That broad figure does not isolate multifamily or single-stair buildings, so it cannot establish how stair count affects evacuation risks or compare outcomes between those building designs.
Scissor Stairs and Smaller Elevators
For taller buildings that still require more than one stairwell, VanValkenburg and McClure are suggesting Virginia allow scissor stairs — two interlocking stairways that wind around each other separated by a fire-rated wall. VanValkenburg said the design reduces space that could otherwise be used for residential units while still permitting more than one stairwell in taller buildings. New York City and Chicago already allow scissor stairs, according to the lawmakers' letter as described by Virginia Mercury.
The pair is also advising Virginia to revise its elevator dimension requirements, arguing smaller elevator sizes could make the equipment more feasible to install in shorter buildings. It's one more piece of a broader push to loosen code requirements that lawmakers say currently add cost without a clear safety payoff.
Missing-Middle Housing and Inspection Reform
VanValkenburg and McClure are also pushing Virginia to adopt a missing-middle building code covering duplexes, triplexes, quadplexes and townhomes that resemble single-family homes, which allows greater density in certain neighborhoods. Currently, missing-middle housing has been placed under commercial rather than residential building codes in Virginia, the lawmakers say. Memphis has already begun shifting missing-middle housing into its own code category to ease regulatory requirements, a reform tracked by ThinkTennessee.
The lawmakers are also proposing to expand the use of third-party licensed inspectors to streamline construction and cut administrative hurdles, noting that fragmented local requirements currently make it impractical for inspectors to operate regionally. Georgia, Tennessee and Florida already allow third-party licensed inspections, they note. Princeton professor Evan Soltas has found that longer permitting timelines drive up housing construction costs, a point the lawmakers cite in arguing for consistent statewide requirements that could ease inspection workflows.
Virginia wouldn't be alone in moving this direction. Since 2022, 19 states and Washington, D.C. have introduced bills to study or allow single-stairway buildings, and in 2025 alone, Colorado, Montana, New Hampshire and Texas passed laws permitting the design, according to Pew's November 2025 analysis. Montana and Texas will allow apartment buildings up to six stories under their new laws, compared with five stories in Colorado and four in New Hampshire. McClure and VanValkenburg say they're eager to keep engaging with the Department of Housing and Community Development in the coming months as the state's board weighs its December decision.
