#Deck stairs handrail code
#Deck stairs handrail series

The 'legality' of this or any other building condition is in the final hands of the local building code department and officials. If the stair is more than three feet wide (probably it's not), and for all stairs in some jurisdictions, a handrail may also be required along the wall. This is an unsafe stairway - the rail and balusters should be replaced. We are sure that a stair rail was originally in place because we see the bottom newel post in our photo. To make it possible to move large furniture or other objects between floors someone has removed the handrail and balusters that were originally installed on the open side of this stairway. This stair is missing both handrailings and a stair rail or stair guard along the stair open side. Our photo (at left) shows a common but unsafe lower floor or basement stair condition in an older home.

is this legal in new york state, and or nassau county? thank you for you assistance, S.F. there is a wall on the left and no handrail on the right. I am purchasing a condo and there is no handrail on the stairs leading to the basement. Reader Question: Is it 'legal' for a basement stair to have no handrailing?

Handrail continuity: handrails should be continuous - that is a hand can slide along the rail without interruption from above the top riser to above the bottom riser handrails can be interrupted at a newel post at the ends of the stairway.

Hand Railing heights: Canada: Canadian stair handrails: 32-36' above the stairs.

handrails for stairs with one side against a wall: 30-38' (local code official is final authority)

Hand Railing projection into stairs ( 31.5' one-side-rail, or => 27' with rails on two sides) (Note: this is a 'grandfathered' or historic height that local officials may still permit for historic or old buildings).

Hand Railing spaced from wall: (=> 1.5' ).

Certainly the stairway that we observed in La Huerta, Mexico (photo at left) as well as the rooftop deck do not meet current safety standards. The building code requirement for stair railings typically requires handrailings on stairs that have a total rise of three feet or more. The final authority on when and where railings are required on steps, stairs, landings, balconies and decks, rests with your local building code official. When Are Handrails Required? How many steps, what total rise height requires a handrail? This is not a particularly easy rail to grasp if one is falling down the slippery brick stairs. Handrailings are a critical safety feature on outdoor and indoor stairs, and ramps, as are guardrails along landings, platforms, decks, porches, and similar structures.Īt above or left the 'handrailing' was filled with running water when we photographed it at el Alhambra in Granada, Spain. This article explains and illustrate the requirements for safe, usable hand railings on steps and stairs, both interior and exterior stairways. Handrail Specifications & Defects: requirements for handrailings along stairs & other locations

We also provide an ARTICLE INDEX for this topic, or you can try the page top or bottom SEARCH BOX as a quick way to find information you need. Our page top photo illustrates an open, exterior stair at La Huerta, Guanajuato, Mexico. These stair and railing articles provide building code specifications, sketches, photographs, and examples of stair & railing safety defects used in inspecting indoor or outdoor stair railings or handrails and related conditions for safety and properĬonstruction. We include descriptions & definitions of graspability for handrailings, and we illustrate safe and unsafe, graspable and not-graspable handrailings in sketches, photographs, and building code citations. used on stairs, balconies, decks, ramps, walks.

#Deck stairs handrail series

This article series explains and illustrate the requirements for graspable handrails & railings used inside or outside buildings, including guardrails, hand railings on steps and stairs, and stair rails or stair guards for both interior and exterior stairways. This article provides example & specific stair rail construction & installation specifications & building code citation for handrailings used in or at buildings on stairs and at other walking surfaces where handrails are needed. Handrails & handrailings codes for stairs, steps, & other locations: We have no relationship with advertisers, products, or services discussed at this website. InspectAPedia tolerates no conflicts of interest.