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What Is Code For Deck Railing Height? The IRC requires guardrails to be at least 36″ in height measured from the deck surface to the top of the rail. Commercial decks attached to multifamily buildings regulated under the International Building Code (IBC) require 42″ high guardrails.
What is code for railing height?
Handrail Height: 34 to 38 Inches Handrail height on the stairs should be no less than 34 inches and no greater than 38 inches. The way this is measured is to begin at the leading edge of the stair nosing and run an imaginary vertical line upward until it reaches the top of the railing.
What is the maximum height of a deck without railing?
If your deck is below 30 inches, a railing is not required. With that said, if you choose to build a deck, even if it is only 24 inches off the ground, that is still high enough that even an adult could injure themselves.
What is code for horizontal deck railing?
Guards are required on decks where a point 36 inches horizontally from the edge is more than 30 inches above the ground. For residential work, guardrails need to be only 36 inches tall. The reason for the lower height is to allow people to see over the top of a railing when seated.
What is the minimum height for railing?
(6) The height of handrails shall be not less than 34 inches nor more than 38 inches from the upper surface of the handrail to the surface of the tread, in line with the face of the riser at the forward edge of the tread.
What is OSHA standard for handrail?
The top rail must be at least 42 inches in height (§1910.29(f)(1)(ii)(B)) and the handrail must be 30 to 38 inches in height (§1910.29(f)(1)(i)) (as measured at the leading edge of the stair tread to the top surface of the rail).
How high off the ground does a deck need a railing?
Deck Guardrail Height Deck guardrails (guards) should rise to at least 36 inches above the residential deck level. This is a minimum required height for residential structure—higher guards are acceptable.
How many steps before you need a railing?
If a stair has a minimum of four risers, a handrail is required. Handrails must be between 30 and 38 inches as measured from the leading edge of the stair tread.
Can you have horizontal deck railing?
Horizontal designs allow you to utilize whatever material you want for the railing. You can use composite, glass, or cable, or settle for the more conventional materials such as wood or metal.
Does horizontal railings meet code?
We always recommend verifying your project details with a local code official before finalizing a project. Most often, horizontal railing systems are subject to the Sphere Rules, Handrail & Guardrail Height Requirements, and Load Requirements.
What is the spacing for horizontal railing?
The IRC requires that the space between your balusters or boards must be less than 4″. To be on the safe side, I recommend using 3.5″ for your spacing. The last thing you want is to build your railing, and have an inspector not pass it because he’s able to fit a 4″ object through your railing.
What is the minimum height for balcony railing?
Guardrails on open-sided surfaces (like stairs, balconies, decks, porches, etc.) must be at least 36 inches in height measured from the top of the rail to (1) the walking surface, (2) fixed seating, or (3) the line connecting the leading edges of the treads.
What is code for a handrail?
On a stair, since handrail must be between 34″ and 38″, the handrail and the top of the guard can be one and the same. In commercial applications, the IBC requires a minimum height of 42″. On stairs, once there is a 30″ drop, a handrail will be required and placed between 34″ and 38″ above the nosing.
What is code for hand railing?
Handrail Height In the U.S., the I-Codes require handrail placed between 34 and 38 inches. In commercial applications, the NBC permits the top or a guard (42″ minimum height) to also serve as handrail. In the U.S., once a stair has a 30″ drop, a guard (42″ minimum) and a handrail (34″ to 38″) would both be required.
How long can a handrail be between posts?
U.S. building code requires support posts for the rail structure to be no further apart than 6 feet on a deck with 4×4′ deck rail posts and no more than 8 feet apart for decks with 6×6′ deck rail posts. Posts should be no further apart than 5.5 feet on stairs.
Do my deck stairs need a railing?
If your deck is over 30 inches from the ground, then by law you need railings for the deck stairs. Low rise (aka floating) decks are less than 30 inches from grade and are exempt. Guardrails must be installed on a high deck or a balcony. Stair rails are a type of guardrail.
How many steps can you take without a handrail?
The building code does not refer to the number of “steps” but it does require a handrail when there are two or more “risers”. For clarification, a “riser” is the vertical portion of a stair. The “tread” is the top of a step. A two riser minimum would translate to two steps.
How wide can steps be without a railing?
The clear width of 48 inches (1219 mm) between handrails is not required for exit stairways accessed from a horizontal exit. The width of stairways shall be determined as specified in Section 1005.1, but such width shall not be less than 44 inches (1118 mm). See Section 1007.3 for accessible means of egress stairways.
How many deck steps require a handrail?
So whether you’re constructing a residential composite deck, lumber deck or a deck made from other decking material, you’re typically required to install a graspable secondary handrail on one side of the deck’s stair railing when there are four or more stair risers present.
Are horizontal railings safe?
The long and short of all this research and code talk is that horizontal components in railing systems contain no climbing threat that is greater than any other guard.
