HB 5570
Allowing Small Apartment Buildings with a Single Stairway
House Bill 5570 updates Michigan’s Single State Construction Code Act to allow certain small multifamily buildings to be constructed with a single interior exit stairway under defined safety conditions.
Today, most multifamily buildings must include two interior stairways once they exceed certain thresholds. That requirement can make small apartment buildings financially or physically infeasible on compact urban lots. HB 5570 creates a pathway for single-stair buildings while maintaining strict safety standards.
What the bill does
Allows a multifamily dwelling to have a single interior exit stairway if:
The building has:
No more than 4 levels above grade, or
An occupiable roof with no more than 3 levels above grade.
There are no more than 4 units per floor.
Each level does not exceed 4,000 square feet.
Exit travel distance is limited to 125 feet from the most remote point on each level.
Requires enhanced fire and life-safety protections, including:
A manual fire alarm system
An automatic smoke detection system connected to occupant notification
Smoke detectors in common areas (gathering areas, corridors, stairways, mechanical rooms, etc.)
Sprinkler protection in the interior stairway meeting NFPA 2025 standards
No elevator openings into the stair enclosure
No electrical receptacles in the interior stairway
Why this matters
Requiring two stairways in small buildings can significantly increase:
Construction costs
Building footprint size
Structural complexity
Land area needed for development
On smaller urban lots, the second stair often makes modest 3–4 story apartment buildings impossible to build.
HB 5570 allows:
Small apartment buildings
Courtyard-style housing
Compact infill projects
“Missing middle” multifamily development
By allowing carefully limited single-stair buildings with strict safety systems, the bill reduces a major design barrier without eliminating life-safety protections.
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2/24/2026: Introduced by Representative Parker Fairbairn
Referred to Committee on Government Operations
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Parker Fairbairn (District 107)
Matt Longjohn (District 40)
Stephen Wooden (District 81)
Jasper Martus (District 69)
Jason Hoskins (District 18)
Joey Andrews (District 38)
Joseph Aragona (District 60)
Laurie Pohutsky (District 17)
Carrie Rheingans (District 47)
Timothy Beson (District 96)
Gregory Markkanen (District 110)
Kristian Grant (District 82)
Tullio Liberati (District 2)
Donavan McKinney (District 11)
Curtis VanderWall (District 102)
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