Relating to municipal regulation of stairway requirements in certain apartment buildings, the official text

S.B. No. 2835

AN ACT

relating to municipal regulation of stairway requirements in

certain apartment buildings.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Chapter 214, Local Government Code, is amended

by adding Subchapter I to read as follows:

SUBCHAPTER I. SINGLE STAIRWAY IN CERTAIN APARTMENT BUILDINGS

Sec. 214.301. PERMITTED REGULATION OF APARTMENT BUILDING

STAIRWAY REQUIREMENTS. (a) A municipality may exercise the

authority under this section regardless of whether the municipality

has adopted local amendments to the International Building Code

under Section 214.216(c).

(b) A municipality may authorize an apartment building to

have a single stairway only if the building:

(1) does not have more than six stories above grade

plane and is not a high-rise as defined by the International

Building Code, as adopted under Section 214.216;

(2) does not have more than four dwelling units on any

floor;

(3) has automatic sprinkler locations in each interior

exit stairway, regardless of the type of stairway construction,

that comply with the requirements prescribed by National Fire

Protection Association Standard 13 for combustible stairways;

(4) has:

(A) an exterior stairway; or

(B) an interior exit stairway for which the

doors:

(i) into the stairway from the interior of

the building swing into the stairway regardless of the occupant

load served; and

(ii) from the interior exit stairway to the

building exterior swing in the direction of exit travel;

(5) has interior exit stairway enclosures that:

(A) have a fire resistance rating of not less

than two hours; and

(B) do not contain an elevator opening;

(6) has on each floor a corridor from each dwelling

unit entry or exit door to an interior exit stairway, including any

related exit passageway, that has a fire resistance rating of at

least one hour;

(7) does not have more than 20 feet between the entry

or exit door of a dwelling unit and an exit stairway;

(8) does not have more than 125 feet of exit access

travel distance;

(9) has an exit serving the portion of the building

that contains two or more dwelling units that does not discharge

through a portion of the building with a different occupancy

category, including an accessory parking garage;

(10) has an exit that terminates in an egress court for

which the court depth does not exceed the court width, unless it is

possible to exit the egress court to the public way in either

direction;

(11) does not have an opening within 10 feet of an

unprotected opening into an exit stairway other than a required

exit door that has a fire resistance rating of at least one hour;

(12) has emergency escape and rescue openings that

comply with Section 1031 of the International Building Code as

adopted under Section 214.216 on each floor served by a single exit;

(13) does not have an electrical receptacle in an

interior exit stairway; and

(14) has an automatic smoke and fire detection system

that activates an occupant notification system that complies with

Section 907.5 of the International Building Code as adopted under

Section 214.216 installed in each:

(A) common space outside of a dwelling unit;

(B) laundry room, mechanical equipment room, and

storage room;

(C) interior corridor serving a dwelling unit;

and

(D) main floor landing or interior or exterior

exit stairway.

SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.

______________________________
______________________________

President of the Senate
Speaker of the House

I hereby certify that S.B. No. 2835 passed the Senate on

May 9, 2025, by the following vote: Yeas 29, Nays 2.

______________________________

Secretary of the Senate

I hereby certify that S.B. No. 2835 passed the House on

May 27, 2025, by the following vote: Yeas 81, Nays 57, two

present not voting.

______________________________

Chief Clerk of the House

Approved:

______________________________

Date

______________________________

Governor