B26-0227 • 2025

One Front Door Act of 2025

Housing

Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor: Nadeau
Last action: 2026-06-05
Official status: Under Congressional Review
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official status indicates the act is under Congressional Review; final enactment depends on this review period ending without disapproval.

One Front Door Amendment Act of 2026

This law directs the Department of Buildings to create new rules by July 1, 2027, allowing certain multifamily residential buildings up to six stories or high-rise status to have a single entrance and exit stairway under specific safety conditions.

What This Bill Does

Defines a 'multifamily residential building' as one containing more than two dwelling units where occupants are primarily permanent in nature.
Requires the Department of Buildings to write rules by July 1, 2027, amending construction codes for single-stair buildings up to six stories or high-rise status.
Directs the Department to consider fire safety measures like preventing smoke spread and requiring automatic sprinklers throughout the building.
Requires safe exit paths in new rules, including limits on distance from apartment doors to stairways and prohibiting unit doors from opening into interior stairways.
Limits buildings under these rules to either no more than four units per floor or a similar limit based on square footage.

Who It Names or Affects

The Department of Buildings, which must write the new construction rules by July 1, 2027.
Builders and developers constructing multifamily residential buildings that may qualify for single-stair designs under future rules.
Residents living in apartment buildings built according to these new safety standards.

Terms To Know

Multifamily residential building: A building with more than two housing units where people live permanently.
High-rise building: A building with an occupied floor located more than 75 feet above the lowest level where fire department vehicles can access it.

Limits and Unknowns

The specific details for fire safety, unit limits, and exit distances will be decided later when the Department writes its rules.
This law does not take effect until after approval by the Mayor (or a veto override) and a 30-day congressional review period.

Bill History

2026-06-05 Council of the District of Columbia LIMS
Act A26-0341 Published in DC Register Vol 73 and Page 008213
2026-06-04 Council of the District of Columbia LIMS
Transmitted to Congress, Projected Law Date is Jul 18, 2026
2026-06-03 Council of the District of Columbia LIMS
Returned from Mayor
2026-06-02 Council of the District of Columbia LIMS
Signed by the Mayor and Enacted with Act Number A26-0341
2026-05-20 Council of the District of Columbia LIMS
Transmitted to Mayor, Response Due on Jun 04, 2026
2026-05-05 Council of the District of Columbia LIMS
Legislative Meeting
2026-03-31 Council of the District of Columbia LIMS
Committee Mark-up of B26-0227 by the Committee of the Whole
2026-03-31 Council of the District of Columbia LIMS
Legislative Meeting
2026-01-27 Council of the District of Columbia LIMS
Public Hearing on B26-0227 View Public Hearing Record
2025-12-19 Council of the District of Columbia LIMS
Notice of Public Hearing Published in the District of Columbia Register
2025-12-11 Council of the District of Columbia LIMS
Notice of Public Hearing filed in the Office of Secretary by Committee of the Whole
2025-04-22 Council of the District of Columbia LIMS
Referred to Committee of the Whole
2025-04-18 Council of the District of Columbia LIMS
Notice of Intent to Act on B26-0227 Published in the District of Columbia Register
2025-04-11 Council of the District of Columbia LIMS
B26-0227 Introduced by Councilmember Nadeau at Office of the Secretary

Official Summary Text

One Front Door Act of 2025

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

ENROLLED ORIGINAL
AN ACT
D.C. ACT 26-341
INTHE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICTOF COLUMBIA,
JUNE 2, 2026
ToamendtheConstructionCodesApprovalandAmendmentsActof1986todirecttheDepartmentofBuildingstopromulgaterulestoallowforresidentialbuildingsofacertainheighttobeservedbyasingleentranceoregressundercertainconditions.
BEIT ENACTED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, Thatthis
actmay be citedasthe“One FrontDoor Amendment Act of 2026”.
Sec.2.TheConstructionCodesApprovalandAmendmentsActof1986,effectiveMarch.21,1987(D.C.Law6-216;D.C,OfficialCode§6-1401efseq.),isamendedasfollows:
(a)Section2(D.C.OfficialCode§ 6-1401)isamendedbyaddinganewparagraph(10A)toreadasfollows:“(10A)“Multifamilyresidentialbuilding”meansabuildingcontainingmorethan2dwellingunitswheretheoccupantsareprimarilypermanentinnature.”.(b)A newsection10fisaddedtoreadasfollows:“Sec.10F.Singlestaircasemultifamilyresidentialbuildings.“(@)(1)NolaterthanJuly1,2027,theDepartmentofBuildingsshallpromulgaterules‘amendingtheConstructionCodestoallowforasingleentranceandegressstairwaytoservemultifamilyresidentialbuildingsupto6storiesabovegradeplaneorhigh-risebuildings.(2)Forpurposesofparagraph(1)ofthissubsection,theterm“high-risebuilding”meansabuildingwithanoccupiedfloorlocatedmorethan75feetabovethelowestleveloffire~departmentvehicleaccess.““(b)Indraftingrulesrequiredpursuanttosubsection(a)(1)ofthissection,theDepartmentshallconsider:“(1)Requirementsthatpreventthespreadoffiresandsmokeinsuchmultifamilyresidentialbuildings,includingrequiringtheuseoffire-resistiveconstruction,andrequiringtheprovisionofadequateautomaticfiresprinklersthroughoutabuilding;“@)Requirementsthatenableoccupantstosafelyandquicklyexitsuchamultifamilyresidentialbuildinginemergencysituations,includingestablishingamaximum‘ancefromtheexitorentrydoorofanydwellingunittotheexitstainwayandprohibitingdwellingunitdoorsfromopeninginthedirectionofaninteriorexitstairway;“@)Requirementslimitingsuchmultifamilyresidentialbuildingstoeitherno
1

ENROLLED ORIGINAL
prohibitingdwellingunitdoors from openinginthedirectionof an interiorexitstairway;
“(3)Requirementslimitingsuch multifamilyresidentialbuildingstoeitherno
more than4 unitsperfloorora commensurate limitationon squarefootageperfloor;and
“(4)Any bestpracticesinstate,local,and internationallawsand codes thatallow
fortheconstructionofmultifamilyresidentialbuildingswitha singleentranceand egress
stairway.
“(c)Theconsiderationssetforthinsubsection(b)ofthissectionshallnotbeconstruedto
limittheDepartment’sauthoritytopromulgateoramendrulesregardingmultifamilyresidentialbuildingsaftersatisfyingtherequirementssetforthinsubsection(a)of thissection.”.
Sec.3.Fiscalimpactstatement.TheCounciladoptsthefiscalimpactstatementinthecommitteereportasthefiscalimpactstatementrequiredbysection4aoftheGeneralLegislativeProceduresActof1975,approvedOctober16,2006(120Stat.2038;D.C.OfficialCode§1-301.47).
Sec.4.Effectivedate.
‘ThisactshalltakeeffectafterapprovalbytheMayor(orintheeventofvetobytheMayor,actionbytheCounciltooverridetheveto)anda30-dayperiodofcongressionalreviewasprovidedinsection602(c)(1)oftheDistrictofColumbiaHomeRuleAct,approvedDecember24,1973(87Stat.813;D.C.OfficialCode§1-206.02(c)(1)).
‘hairman
Councilof theDistrictof Columbia

Distr of ColumbiaED
JUNE 2, 2026

COUNCILOF THEDISTRICTOFCOLUMBIA
WASHINGTON,DC,20004

[ITEMONCONSENTCALENDAR:

[XIACTION FirstReading,CC
Dqvorepate ‘March31,2026
[x]VoicevoTe Approved
RECORDEDVOTEONREQUEST
ABSENT
[JROLLCALLVOTE-Result

CouncilMember [Aye|Nay[NV[AB[Rec]counciMember[aye[Nay|NV[AB[Rec|CounciMember[Aye[Ney|NV[AB[Rec
ChairmanMendelson]X Frumin x Pinto
Alen x Henderson x R.white
Bonds x LewisGeorge_| X T.White
Crawford x Nadeau x
Felder x Patker x
X-IndicateVoto ‘AB—Absent NV-Prosent,NotVoting Rec-Recused
CERTIFICATIONRECORD
SpeeSecrstarytotheCounc Baie
DocketNo,826-0227
[ITEMONCONSENTCALENDAR
IX]ACTION FinalReading
[X1VOTEDATE May5,2026
[xivoicevore ‘Approved
RECORDEDVOTEONREQUEST
ABSENT
[ROLLCALLVOTE-Result
‘CouncMember [Aye[Nay[NV[AB[RecCounciMember[Aye[Nay|NV[AB[Rec|GounciMember[Aye|Nay|NV[AB[Rec|
ChairmanMendelson]X Frumin x Pinto
Allon x Henderson x R.White
Bonds x LewisGeorge_| x T.Wnite
Crawtord x Nadeau x
Felder x Parker x
X-ingicateVote AB Absent NV:Present,NotVating
CERTIFICATIONRECORD
‘SecretarytotheCouncil Sv 26
Date