Last week, the Technical Advisory Group overseeing the Commercial Building Code (Chapter 1305) accepted a proposal to allow single-stair multi-family dwellings in Minnesota.
“The approval was a rare unanimous one,” wrote Stephen Smith of the Center for Building North America via LinkedIn. “In practice, this means that starting in 2026, small multifamily buildings served by a single stair will be able to rise to four stories, up from the current three-story limit. The code change comes with some reasonable limitations – the most meaningful are that architects must limit each story to at most 4,000 sq. ft., with no more than four apartments per story.”
“We’re seeing greater scrutiny of the model building codes,” said Nick Erickson, senior director of housing policy for Housing First Minnesota and a member of the study group. “More groups are advocating for building code reforms that will allow for greater flexibility, more housing, and greater affordability. Thank you to our coalition partners for leading on this item.”
The Commercial Building Code is still under technical review and this proposal will likely be included when the 2026 Building Code goes into effect.
