An act relating to housing. An act to amend Sections 17958, 17958.5, 17958.7, and 18941.5 of, and to add Section 17921.14 to, the Health and Safety Code, relating to housing.
Summary
AB 2252 would direct the Department of Housing and Community Development to research, develop, and propose building standards for single-exit, single-stairway multiunit residential buildings up to six stories tall for the next triennial California Building Standards Code update. The bill requires consultation with the State Fire Marshal in developing those standards and states legislative intent to eventually allow housing buildings with four or more stories to have a single stair entry and exit.
The bill also amends several Health and Safety Code provisions governing local building standards to create an explicit exception for these single-stair residential buildings. Under current law, cities and counties generally have limited authority to change state building standards for residential units during a specified period, and the bill would add single-stair, up-to-six-story housing to the list of permitted exceptions. That means local governments could not block or reject such standards under the bill’s temporary restrictions on local code changes, and the California Building Standards Commission would have to allow or approve them under the new exception.
Impact
AB 2252 would affect the State Housing Law and California Building Standards Law by adding a new statewide pathway for single-exit, single-stairway multifamily residential buildings up to six stories. It would require HCD to initiate code-development work for inclusion in Title 24 and would modify local control provisions in Health and Safety Code Sections 17958, 17958.5, 17958.7, and 18941.5 so that local governments’ usual limits on residential code changes do not apply to this building type. The practical effect would be to facilitate future adoption of a new residential building form in state code and reduce barriers to local implementation once standards are developed.
Sentiment
The bill appears generally supportive of housing production and code modernization, with the authors framing it as a way to expand housing design options and potentially make multifamily housing easier to build. The committee status indicates it was heard for testimony only, and no recorded votes or opposition statements are provided in the materials. Overall, the available context suggests the measure was treated as a policy discussion bill rather than one that had advanced through a contentious vote at this stage.
Contention
The main policy issue is the balance between housing innovation and fire/life-safety concerns. Because the bill authorizes single-stair buildings up to six stories, the likely point of contention is whether one exit stairway provides adequate evacuation and emergency access, which is why the bill requires consultation with the State Fire Marshal. Another potential area of concern is local control: the bill limits cities and counties from using their usual authority to impose more restrictive residential building standards to block this building type during the specified period. Supporters are likely to emphasize housing supply and design flexibility, while critics may focus on safety, local discretion, and whether state standards should move before the fire-safety research is fully complete.
An act to amend Sections 18802, 18804, 18805, and 18806 of of, to amend and repeal Section 18803 of, and to add Section 18803.1 to, the Health and Safety Code, relating to housing.