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IFC STAIR RAIL CODE CODE

It is understood that people will lean against guards, and code requires that these guardrails be strong enough to resist collapsing.Īdding hand railing to a low-rise deck is often a very good idea. However, these guardrails still must be as strong as those on higher decks. If you do decide to include a guardrail on a low deck, its height and the spacing of the balusters is up to you. If you see a deck that has no guardrails (also called a low-rise deck), this might be the reason: its height is below 30 inches.Įven with very short, low-rise decks, many homeowners still opt to construct guardrails. Some decks are not required to have guardrails, provided those decks are no more than 30 inches above grade. Commercial deck guardrails, such as those found at restaurants, bars, and at multifamily homes such as apartments or condos, are required to be 42 inches high, minimum. This is a minimum required height for residential structure-higher guards are acceptable.

Tread: Tread is the flat part of a staircase that you place your foot on.ĭeck guardrails (guards) should rise to at least 36 inches above the residential deck level.

Rise: Rise is the vertical distance from one stair tread to another.

Another benefit is that low-rise decks often do not require a building permit.

Low-rise decks: Also called ground-level or floating decks, low-rise decks do not rise more than 30 inches above the ground and thus are exempt from certain guardrail and baluster requirements.

Grade: Grade refers to the ground level directly adjoining the deck.

Balusters: Balusters are small vertical in-fill posts running between the guardrail or railing, designed to prevent people, particularly children, from falling off the deck through the space below an angled stairway railing or the horizontal guardrail.

Railing: As the terms are used by the code, a railing is a form of guard that protects stairs, running on the incline up and down the stairway.

As the terms are defined by the code, a guardrail is different than a railing-which is a similar feature found on a stairway

Guardrails: A guardrail (sometimes simply called a guard) runs horizontally along a landing or other flat area with a drop on the other side.

Understanding the IBC code requirements is easier if you fully understand the terminology that is used: Be sure to speak to your local permitting office and consult your applicable code before building. As a result, your locality may adapt the IBC to suit the needs of its citizens.

Older decks using older construction methods may be grandfathered in, but new requirements are mandated whenever you build a new deck or remodel or repair an older deck.Īs a model code, the IBC is developed by the International Code Council for states, cities, and other local groups to both adopt and adapt for their use.

If so, be advised that toe-nailing is no longer an accepted connection, according to the current International Building Code (IBC).

It's important to keep on top of the building code requirements for decks, because the code is continually changing.įor example, your older deck may have toe-nailed connections-wood connections made with nails simply driven through the joints at an angle. The Consumer Product Safety Commission estimated that from 2016 to 2019, the failure or collapse of decks and balconies led to 2,900 injuries. The Spruce Home Improvement Review Boardīuilding code requirements for exterior decking railings and stairways are especially stringent because properly built decks can help prevent serious injury.