Outdoor Stair Handrail Height

Exterior or outdoor stair railing guardrail landing tread and step specifications codes construction requirements for safe outdoor steps stairs railings newel posts outdoor stair railing safety hazards photos of defects.
Outdoor stair handrail height. For stair rail systems installed on or after january 17 2017 the top rail and handrail must be separate. 1926 1052 c 7 when the top edge of a stair rail also serves as a handrail the height of the top edge shall be not less than 34 inches nor more than 38 inches from the upper surface of the stair rail to the surface of the tread in line with the face of the riser at the forward edge of the tread. Use a vertical 2 x 4 pressure treated board with routed edges or an exterior grade metal rail. Defects in masonry steps and landings outdoors sketches of exterior stair design requirements questions answers about exterior stair code specifications.
Handrail graspability to be either type i or ii with a minimum 1 1 2 inch clearance from a wall. Deck guardrails guards should rise to at least 36 inches above the residential deck level. Maximum 12 3 vertical height rise for a flight of stairs. Fiberon havenview countryside 6 ft.
Exterior stair railing code maintains that if your deck s stairs have fewer than two risers a rail is not mandatory. This is a minimum required height for residential structure higher guards are acceptable. 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. For stairs with 4 or more risers most codes require a handrail on at least one side.
Composite line stair section h channel top rail bottom rail. Most building codes require handrails for exterior stairs to be between 34 inches and 38 inches above the stair nosings. Deck guardrail height. Minimum 10 inch stair tread depth with nosing or minimum 11 inches with no nosing.
If you choose the 2 x 4 handrail you can use a piece of 2 x material to create a 1 1 2 inch gap between the top rail and the handrail. This means that a handrail s height is measured from the top of the stair treads or horizontal stepping members. Handrail height is the height of the handrail in relation to the stairs. Handrail height to be placed a minimum 34 inches to 38 inches.
When building an outdoor deck whether or not you ll need to include handrails will depend on the height of your construction. The top of the handrail is the upper limit of this measurement even if it includes a decorative molding or. Handrail height on the stairs should be no less than 34 inches and no greater than 38 inches.