Guard railing height & other specification FAQs:

Questions & answers about guidelines for building guardrails on balconies, decks, landings, stair landings. These questions & answers help clarify guardrailing codes & standards and suggest remedies for common guardrail problems.

Our page top photo shows an unsafe stair-top guardrail: it is too low (about 24") and the baluster spacing is too wide (more than 4"). The strength of the connections of the guardrail to the structure may also be inadequate.

FAQs on Guardrail Specifications & Defects

These questions & answers about guards or guardrail codes, construction, specifications, & inspection were posted originally

at GUARDRAIL CODES & STANDARDS - be sure to see the advice given there.

On 2019-02-02 by (mod) - Do both hand rail sections need to be connected to form a " continuous hand rail"?

That's a preferred design -giving stairway users a continuous grasp around the landing

On 2019-01-29 by Jack

I have a fully enclosed stairwell with a u-turn at a landing.

My hand rail runs up either side of the common wall between the two stairway sections but each hand rail terminates at the landing.

Do both hand rail sections need to be connected to form a " continuous hand rail"?

On 2018-02-24 by (mod) - rules about spacing between opening this on guard railings

The rules about spacing between opening this on guard railings is intended to keep children from falling through or trapping a head or a foot.

They are not designed to prevent a child from tossing a toy. Simply consider that even if the guard were completely solid a child could just drop a toy over the top.

On 2018-02-23 by Marshallsay

What is the regulation measurement for glass balcony screen that goes below standing landing ? We were at a family hotel on the 20th floor and there was a space of 90mm (3 and half ins ) between glass and face of concrete landing I was a bit concerned that children could drop toys or items onto Road below

On 2017-08-20 by (mod) - guardrail assembly needs to withstand the 200 lb forc

The guardrail assembly needs to withstand the 200 lb force.

If a 200 lb fat toddler runs full on into the guardrail and smashes into that assembly below the top guardrail, the assembly still needs to prevent my short chubby friend from sailing off into space.

Check with your local building code inspector as she has the final local legal authority.

On 2017-08-18 by Kat

I understand the top horizontal bar of a guardrail should, by code, support up to 200 pds.

I am trying to find out if the vertical rails that run from the balcony floor to the top horizontal rail are required to hold any weight. I can't find this information anywhere...

It seems like it should be part of the overall safety rail system, but perhaps only the
strength of the top horizontal rail is required by code/law? Thank you!

On 2017-05-06 by (mod) - Can a landing which turns 90 degrees have an open guardrail?

If by open guardrail, you mean a horizontal railing with no enclosure below, no that would not constitute a functional guardrail.

On 2017-05-06 by Anonymous

Can a landing which turns 90 degrees, from the door, have an open guardrail for steps straight in front of the door opening?

On 2017-03-28 by (mod) - NYC guardrail code interpretation

Sarah:

I agree that it sounds as if there is some confusion about NYC guardrail code interpretation. I'm no where near smart enough to think I fully understand your situation, and to the point, city code inspecting officials are the final legal authority.

That said, a worry I'd have about planters in front of the guardrails, if they are near the terrace floor level, is that some fool could decide to stand on a planter, thus making the guardrail, efffectively, too low - and could fall 16 floors. So I think you'd need to and want to show a design that in no way compromises the intent of the guardrailing.

On 2017-03-28 by Sarah

I live in a 16th floor apartment in NYC and have a 160 sq foot terrace with a parapet wall with guards that are in total 46.5" high from walking surface. I want to put 22" high planter boxes along the edge of my terrace but my building is telling me that my planters must be 42" in height per NY building code.

I have looked up the building code and it only states that guards must be 42" high above adjacent fixed seating or the line connecting the leading tread. My planters would not be seating nor stairs. Are planters allowed to be placed in front of guards?

On 2017-01-25 by Craig

How strong is the wooden guard railing at the top of the stairs in a two story home?

How strong is a two story home wooden balcony ?

On 2016-03-15 by (mod) - OSHA guardrail codes

Anon:

I agree that you ask a reasonable question. In our article series on guardrails I comment that I've not found much code on requiring guardrails along retaining walls - that's the case you describe. I add that typically the architect or engineer decides if it's likely that people will be walking near or working near the retaining wall edge and in such cases calls for a guardrail.

An example: a school playground that is quite large but that extends to a retaining wall is hazardous: kids playing ball kick balls and run around such that someone may indeed dash right over the retaining wall edge.

Similarly I've not found an OSHA regulation specifically on guardrailings at retaining walls (though OSHA requires protection at excavations, stairs, scaffolding, etc; where there could be a 4-foot fall; your point on falling hazards is a good one) - an important question to which you infer, as one of the more disturbing cases we were involved in recently involved a worker whose lawnmower tipped over at the edge of a retaining wall, perhaps due to local subsidence; he and the mower went over the edge and he lost a leg.

OSHA Excerpt

To prevent employees from being injured from falls, employers must:

Guard every floor hole into which a worker can accidentally walk (using a railing and toe-board or a floor hole cover).

Provide a guard rail and toe-board around every elevated open sided platform, floor or runway.

Regardless of height, if a worker can fall into or onto dangerous machines or equipment (such as a vat of acid or a conveyor belt) employers must provide guardrails and toe-boards to prevent workersfrom falling and getting injured.

Other means of fall protection that may be required on certain jobs include safety harness and line, safety nets, stair railings and hand rails.

On 2016-03-15 by Anonymous

How far laterally from a walking surface does the 30" drop off apply. For instance, if I had a drop off of 32" located 1" off a walkway, it would make sense to need a guardrail, but what if the drop off way 10 feet away across a yard? Does the code provide a distance? OSHA has a minimal distance from a fall hazzard, but what about IBC?

On 2016-01-26 by Mary

We are selling our home and need to have this done ASAP. I saw that a 2x6 on edge could not be grasped well enough to be legal as a railing.

thanks for your help

...

Continue reading at GUARDRAIL CODES & STANDARDS or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.

Or see GUARDRAIL, BALCONY, DECK, LANDING CODE FAQs-3 - more recent questions and answers about guards or guardrailings at stairs, ramps, balconies, decks, porches etc.

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INDEX to RELATED ARTICLES: ARTICLE INDEX to STAIRS RAILINGS LANDINGS RAMPS

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