CHICAGO— Mayor Brandon Johnson and the Chicago Department of Buildings today celebrated the Chicago City Council's passage of Phase 3 of the Chicago Construction Codes Modernization Initiative, a comprehensive package of code amendments that advances Mayor Johnson's Cut the Tape Initiative and reflects this administration's commitment to building the safest and most affordable city in America.
“This is what cutting the tape looks like,” said Mayor Brandon Johnson. “Modern, safe, and energy-efficient buildings are essential to the future we are building for every Chicago neighborhood, and Phase 3 delivers on that future by removing unnecessary barriers to responsible development and creating real opportunities for housing growth.”
“Today is a milestone I am incredibly proud of,” saidDOB Commissioner Marlene Hopkins.“For too long, discussions about housing affordability and development have been framed as a choice between flexibility and safety.
This ordinance puts that false choice to rest, proving that affordability and safety can and should be complementary goals.”
For developers, builders, and communities across Chicago, the practical impact is immediate and significant.
The package updates five code areas — mechanical, fuel gas, fire prevention, energy, and residential construction — removing unnecessary regulatory barriers to housing production, reducing construction costs, supporting adaptive reuse, and modernizing gas-piping and appliance-safety standards for the first time in 25 years.
Among the most significant provisions is the authorization of interlocking interior exit stairway groups in qualifying residential buildings up to 15 stories.
These stair systems maintain two independent means of egress separated by fire-rated construction while enabling more efficient floor plans, additional usable living space, improved access to daylight, and greater design flexibility.
The package also expands residential code flexibilities from four-story to five-story, fully sprinklered, to support adaptive reuse, residential conversions, and development on constrained urban sites throughout Chicago, while improving project feasibility and reducing per-unit development costs.
These efficiencies are paired with safeguards, including sprinkler protection, fire-rated construction, and multiple means of egress, to ensure that the modern regulatory framework supports housing affordability, economic development, and neighborhood investment without compromising public safety.
Phase 3 of the Construction Codes Modernization Initiative was introduced to City Council on April 15, 2026.
The introductory release that includes a full summary of the updates is availablehere, and the complete ordinance can be reviewed on the City Clerk’s website.