HousingAnchorage · May 18, 2026
single stair just unlocked anchorage
Single-stair apartments are legal in Anchorage starting Monday and small lot housing math just shifted in a real way.
Daily Alaska staff · May 18, 2026 · Anchorage
The Municipality of Anchorage's updated building code took effect Monday, May 18, 2026, dropping the city's longstanding requirement that apartment buildings include two stairwells. Mayor Suzanne LaFrance's administration spent close to two years developing the change with input from developers, engineers and architects, as part of her pledge to build or renovate 10,000 homes in Anchorage over the next decade.
Under the new code, smaller apartment buildings can be built with a single stairwell instead of two. A second stairwell typically takes up roughly 200 to 400 square feet on every floor of a building, so removing it frees up rentable square footage and allows more units to fit on a single lot.
The change makes some small, tight lots financially viable for housing development for the first time. Fewer redundant requirements also mean cheaper permits and faster project reviews for developers working on infill projects.
Material costs remain high and are not affected by the code change, but the new rule applies to Anchorage, Eagle River and Chugiak homeowners and small developers considering infill or multifamily projects on small lots.
In this story
Questions people ask
When did Anchorage's new building code take effect?
Monday, May 18, 2026.
What changed in the building code?
Some apartment buildings can now be built with one stairwell instead of the previously required two.
Why does removing a stairwell help housing?
A second stairwell takes up roughly 200 to 400 square feet per floor, so losing it frees up rentable space and lets more units fit on smaller lots.
Will this code change lower building costs?
Material costs remain high and aren't affected by this change.
Evidence
Sources
Claims and where they come from
- Anchorage's building code update, dropping the two-stairwell requirement for some apartment buildings, took effect May 18, 2026. · alaskapublic.org
- The code update is part of Mayor Suzanne LaFrance's pledge to build or renovate 10,000 homes in Anchorage over 10 years. · alaskapublic.org
- A second stairwell typically takes up roughly 200 to 400 square feet on every floor of a building. · alaskapublic.org
- The code update took close to two years to develop with input from developers, engineers and architects. · alaskapublic.org
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