FAQs on stair, railing, guardrail, handrail, landing & platform building codes & design specifications:

This article series lists all major building code specifications for stairs, railings, landings, and guardrails - information useful for constructing or inspecting indoor or outdoor stairs, railings, landings, & treads, and for evaluating stairways and railings for safety and proper construction.

Model Stair Building Code FAQs

These questions and answers about stair construction codes were posted originally at BUILDING CODES for STAIRS - be sure to consult that article as it gives an index to all major stair and railing and landing codes and specifications.

On 2018-08-03 by (mod) -

In most jurisdictions, 4" but there are additional important details.

In the ARTICLE INDEX you'll find articles on guardrailings and on baluster spacings

On 2018-08-09 by Ray Houpt

Maximum Space for Balusters on stairs and balconies

On 2018-08-03 by (mod) - welding standards for steel stairs

Thanks for an interesting question, Jim. We haven't worked on welding standards for steel stairs.

Certainly you should apply the stair guard and railing force and load requirements for stairs to steel-constructed stairs. Those are reviewed in this article series.

But those address only guard and railing safety, not weld strength as a general construction standard.

OSHA's Stairway and Ladder Guidelines give an insight that may also answer your question in a non-quantitative way:

"When splicing side rails, the resulting side railmust be equivalent in strength to a one-pieceside rail made of the same material."

Which is a general rule for welding too, correct?

See the OSHA STAIR RULES [PDF] at https://inspectapedia.com/Stairs/OSHA_Stair_Ladder_Guild_3124.pdf

Also
e. Guardrail Strength. Regardless of material used, the guardrail must be able to withstand a loading of 200 pounds, applied in any direction at any point on the toprail, with minimum deflection. The design of railings that must withstand greater stress, because of the nature of use, must have a minimum safety factor of four.

On 2018-07-30 by Jim C

For steel stairs & walkways, what are applicable design codes/standards for allowable stress calculations and for welding, such as AWS D1.1.

Also, does OSHA have any requirements for allowable stress calculations and for welding. THANKS MUCH ! !

On 2017-08-11 22:28:19.624786 by (mod) -

Hi Michael

Thanks for asking about the minimum stairway width that permits a handrail on just one side.

Using the Uniform Building Code UBC 10.3.3.36 (1997) as an example:

Stair Handrail requirements:

Stairways shall have handrails on each side, and every stairway required to be more than 88 inches (2235 mm) in width shall be provided with not less than one intermediate handrail for each 88 inches (2235 mm) or required width. Intermediate handrails shall be spaced approximately equally across with the entire width of the stairway.

Exceptions: maximum stairway width permitting a handrail on just one side.

1. Stairways less than 44 inches (1118 mm) in width or stairways serving one individual dwelling unit in Group R, Division 1 or 3 Occupancy or a Group R, Division 3 congregate residence may have one handrail.

2. Private stairways 30 inches (762) or less in height may have a handrail on one side only.

3. Stairways having less than four risers and serving one individual dwelling unit in Group R, Division 1 or 3, or a Group 4, Division 3 congregate residence or Group U Occupancies need not have handrails.

More details about handrail codes are at

RAILING CODES & STANDARDS inspectapedia.com/Stairs/Railing_Codes_Specifications.php

There you'll see that we give a similar specification for several model codes besides the one I cited, to include also
CA OSHA Title 8 Section §3214. Stair Rails and Handrails [35]

Dan

On 2017-08-11 21:47:31.773107 by MichaelCfffg

Is there a minimum stair width at which a handrail is required on both sides of the stairs?

I got the minimum as 44 inches from somewhere, but can't find the reference anymore, and other inspectors say this is too narrow. Can you provide a clarification, and cite the reference? Thanks!

On 2016-11-02 04:27:20.413615 by Pearl

Looking at an upstairs unit of a shared building in a co-op in New York, and I'm wondering... Is it possible to install a permanent staircase to attic access instead of a drop down ladder? Those ladders always seem so flimsy after a few years.

. In the NY 2008 codes, it seems to allow for Spiral Staircase, but can I just install regular stairs? Have the codes changed recently on this?

On 2016-08-17 14:00:11.875160 by (mod) -

Sh

I'm sorry for your mom and her hip injiury - knowing quite well what that means for an older person.

Regrettably the question you ask is a legal one and thus not in our area of expertise. I suggest though that you carefully document the condition of the stairs where the fall occurred, with photographs and measurements taken by an indepndent expert

(use the EXPERT DIRECTORIES

at the top of this page to find a home inspector who'll document the steps for you).

Take that information along with your insurance and bill questions to your mother's attorney.

Keep us posted as what you learn may help others.

Daniel

On 2016-08-17 01:03:23.003414 by shschaumburg@aol.com

My mother had a broken hip from concrete stairs on front house porch steps and was in the hospital and rehab for months.

How do I get the homeowner's Insurance Companny to pay her hospital bills when the homeowner will not tell anyone who they have insurance with on their house?

On 2016-07-01 16:09:49.501421 by Anonymous

NY city Residential Building in design phase - we have a MEP (Generator and Cooling Tower) bulkhead located at a 22 story level.

Access is through a stair running more than more than 12'-0" in height. Do we have to provide on this stair an intermediate rest landing?

On 2016-05-13 00:35:23.201009 by (mod) -

Mike, I don't know how appraisers in your area count staircase footage: it depends on how they are measuring square feet. For example some just measure the building exterior, count the number of floors, and that's it.

I don't understand the second part of your question. Certainly nobody can build nor install a staircase if they're not given access to the space where the stairs have to go.

On 2016-05-12 18:31:11.522151 by mike giangregorio

Is the open square footage on a stair case counted in living square footage on the second floor of a two story home. If access is not granted to use it, then how do you build stair cases without it.

On 2016-05-09 21:27:03.261664 by (mod) -

Jeff, all of the model codes agree that the rise on stairs needs to be close to identical to avoid a trip hazard. When one riser is 6.75" and the other 1.5" this is a trip hazard. When the total rise is small enough that the when making the steps uniform the individual step rises are pretty short a good design increases the tread depth accordingly.

On 2016-05-09 20:16:20.090537 by Jeff McCartney

Regarding my recent post of a rented house in Virginia, I should have made it clear the bottom step is only 11 and 7/8 inches deep.

The top step is the one with the 6.75 inch rise.

On 2016-05-09 20:15:02.608178 by Jeff McCartney

I am in a rented house in Virginia which has a sunroom accessible from the kitchen via 2 existing steps.

Both are brick steps (assume they were originally outside the house, prior to addition of sunroom). The first is 23 inches deep by 43 inches wide with a riser height of 6.75 inches

The second is 11 7/8 inches deep by 43 inches wide with a riser height of 1.5 inches. Does the fact there are only 2 steps preclude this from any regulations?

We have had 4 accidents falling off the bottom step when coming down into the sunroom. It seems that removing the second step would be acceptable as the combined rise would only be about 8.25 inches. Alternately, can we leave the bottom step but extend it (ie, instead of 11 7/8 inches deep, make it 24 inches or so to be considered a platform or landing?

On 2015-10-08 06:41:33.464015 by Tom

Does NYS require approval of an architect or structural engineer for interior, residential stair construction?

On 2015-09-03 17:15:16.107380 by (mod) -

Deb: from my reading, the BOCA Code, UBC Code, IRC Code, and IFC codes all specify:

A minimum clear walking path of 26 inches in width. A 5-foot diameter or larger stair will provide this width (52" devoted to the tread width on each side of the stair center, and 8" allocated for the stair center column).

If your architect has found a different citation please ask him for it and share that with me - we need to know about it. Or perhaps the architect's custom design uses a larger center column for the circular stair and thus needs a larger overall stair width.

My OPINION is that you should put in the largest round stair that you can fit in the space. I find that walking on triangular stair treads is inherently dangerous and the larger stair width means larger stair treads as well as a far easier time carrying something up the stairwell

and see

inspectapedia.com/Stairs/Circular_Stair_Specifications.php for details about circular stair codes and building and kit advice.

On 2015-09-03 14:02:47.039127 by deb

Looking for current New York State code on the MINIMUM WIDTH of exterior spiral stairs. I have a very old entry to a 250 sq foot apartment (with another egress for furniture). It is definitely not to current code -- too narrow & steep.

It is inside a porch enclosed by equally old lattice (not the nasty kind!!) The width is 5'5". My architect says min. is 6', but I thought it was 5'2". Can someone clarify for me? I would like to do this before the snow flies outside Rochester, NY. And this 150-yr-old house deserves an entry that is not a cob-job!!!

On 2015-06-01 14:33:17.642530 by Anonymous

What are the requirements for an open exterior stair to an attic used for mechanical equipment. This is a linear attic approximately 175' long with an acceptable, recently installed stair at one end, but with a 1950 vintage steel stair 28" wide with a landing and a rails with no intermediate rail at the other end. The stair is 49 degrees. It is located in Maryland.

On 2015-04-08 15:32:46.615270 by (mod) -

Anon: building codes cannot attempt to nor legislate against every conceivable hazard. "Meets code" does not necessarily mean "safe" for all situations; particularly where there are public spaces these hazards remain valid concerns.

On 2015-04-07 20:49:44.894000 by Anonymous

I see and understand that horizontal railings are dangerous especially around small children that would like to climb them but I don't see any code or specification against their installation. In fact, to the contrary, you can find all kinds of places to build them.

Question: is an exception to step riser height uniformity allowed when using pre-fab stair stringters?

Is there an exception to the riser height variation for the very first step of the staircase?

Let me attempt to clarify the question. I have a deck (exterior porch) for which the distance from the top of the deck to the slab which forms the footing for the set of stairs is just shy of the 5 steps within a pre-fabricated 5 step stair stringer which can be purchased at a Home Depot or Lowes, for example.

If I attach the pre-made stringer from the deck to the slab, ensuring that the top of the deck to the next stair down is the same height as the rest, then the riser height from the slab to the first stair is greater than a 3/8" variation from the rest of the riser heights by 1/8th of an inch (ie. it's 1/2 inch shorter than the rest of the stairs -

I actually need to remove a half inch from the bottom most stair of the stringer to fit). If this is a violation of code, than it means I need to cut my own customer stringer. Just verifying. Any feedback is appreciated. - Dan

Reply: In short, no, but in this case you can adjust the stringer to meet code

Dan we answered this question previously in detail

at STAIR RISER SPECIFICATIONS

- please take a look at that article. In short, because your step riser height variation at the first step is 1/2" shorter than the rest of the stairs, you can trim the top and bottom of the stair stringer to split that difference, making sure that the variation in step riser height is 1/4" or less - which meets code.

Question: stair weight capacity requirements: stair load design specifications

Is there a minimum weight capacity for wooden stairs? - Hendrick

Reply:

Hendrick: regarding stair load capacity, the best answer is to start by asking your local building department - the local code officials are the final authority on stair load capacity requirements.

Based on the 1997 Uniform Building Code (TM), the 2000 International Building Code (R), and the 2000 International Residential code (R) IRC, and looking at a popular stair construction bracket (the EZ-stair bracket), the allowable download on the bracket is 610-640 pounds (including snow loads on exterior stairs).

Typical deck & post load numbers range from 650 to 1050 lbs/sqft.

Naturally all of the stair structural and other weight bearing components have to be constructed to handle the live and dead loads involved. And you can increase the load bearing capacity or weight carrying capacity of your stairs by increasing the size of the stair stringers.

Watch out: we have seen amateur-built stairs at which the stair stringers were cut so deeply to prepare notches for the treads and risers that the entire stairway was being supported by what amounted to a 2x3!!

Question: do I need to remodel stairs in a 1979 rental cabin to comply with current building codes

I purchased a cabin recently, the cabin was built in 1979, at that time the building code for stairs was different than the code today. I do rent the cabin. Do I need to remodeled the stair to be conform to the new building codes? - Mike Jones

Reply: requirement to update stairs to meet current building codes: no, sometimes yes, but ...

Mike, re: requirement to update stairs to meet current building codes:

While the final answer to your question is in the hands of your local building department, usually building owners are not required to change or update their building to keep up with building code updates.

But often a building owner can indeed find themselves obligated to update certain portions of the building or its mechanical systems to current building codes

• when the property is being sold (as part of a "CO" update that may be required by the buyer or their mortgage lender),
  or
• when an addition or modification to the building is being constructed, for which building permits and code approvals are required.

In my OPINION, because stair falls are the greatest source of injuries and hospitalizations in North America after automobile accidents, it is worth making stairs, railings, landings, and guardrails as safe as possible.

You didn't mention anything specific about your cabin stairs, but certainly as a landlord, renting the property, you have an extra level of responsibility to your tenants to make the building safe, and you certainly don't want someone to be injured. I'd be sure to pay attention to basic trip and fall hazards such as uneven risers or treads, and inadequate railings.

Question: code on smoothness of stair landing surfaces

(Apr 15, 2014) Peter said:
Is there a code requirement or a reference standard (specifically in California )requiring that the surface of a landing be smooth to within a certain tolerance?

Reply:

Peter I haven't seen smoothess per se, but there are certainly building codes about trip hazards and about uniformity of surface in slope or pitch;

But you can express a trip hazard in terms of

• Uneven heights or projections in the walking surfaces: Generally something sticking up more than 1/8" or a gap wider than 1/8" can be a trip hazard.
  
  See SLIPS, TRIPS & FALLS, EXTERIOR STAIRS
• Surfaces that are too slippery - lacking an adequate static coefficient of friction
  
  See SLIPPERY STAIRS, WALKS, ROOFS

Question: requirements for transitioning from top landing to stair tread

(Apr 24, 2014) richardtownes@namfg.com said:

I am unable to find where the requirements for transitioning from top landing to stair tread is. The deck i have bas the top stair about a 1/2 inch above the landing i think it is a trip hasard but i cant find any presedence that confirms that. or code? any help would be appreciated. Thanks, Richard Townes. Alabama if that make a differance

Reply:

Hi Richard. I think I need to see a sketch or photo - I'm confused by the text.

Certainly a 1/2" Rise or irregularity in a flat walking surface is a trip hazard. But a 1/2" rise created by say a door-threshold would be normal.

If you mean that the last stair tread in stairs that climb up to the surface of a deck is actually 1/2" above the deck surface that's certainly a trip hazard. I'd expect your building department to agree. And I'd look out for an inexperienced stair installer / builder and worry about what other oddball stuff is there.

Question: Florida stair codes for stair replacement

(Aug 8, 2014) SANDRA FISHER said:
I live in a 8 unit condo building in Florida. Our back exterior stair case needs to be replaced. Are there any codes and specifications that you can direct me too please?

Reply:

Sandra, the Florida Building Code Section 1009 describes the state's requirements for stairs and handrailings. I'll post a link to a copy of the Florida State Stair & Railing Code in the article above -

In links at the start of this article click on

FLORIDA STAIR & RAILING CODE [PDF]

click in that document to return to this page.

Question: inconsistent step rise on stairs vs at landings

(Nov 28, 2014) Anonymous said:

My house is about 15 years old will good prefab stairs between the basement and first floor and the first and second floors. In both cases each rise is exactly 7.75 inches. However, in both cases the top stair to landing is not 7.75. In one case, it is 8.25 inches(top stair from basement to first floor)and in the other case it is 6.5 inches (top stair from first to second floor). Is this legal?

Reply:

Anon

The variations in step riser height you cite are a potential trip hazard and are not in compliance with most stair codes. What's "legal" is what was approved by your local building inspector.

...

Continue reading at BUILDING CODES for STAIRS - topic home, or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.

BUILDING CODE DOWNLOADS - free downloadable PDF files of building codes & standards

Or see these

Stair code & standard articles

• BUILDING CODES for STAIRS
  • STAIR CODES & STANDARDS
    • CABLE RAILING CODES, OPENINGS, LADDER EFFECT
    • HANDRAIL CODES & OSHA HAND RAIL SPECS
    • HANDRAIL CODES - GRASPABILITY
    • HANDRAIL CONTINUITY
    • HANDRAIL EXTENSION REQUIREMENTS
    • HANDRAILING STRENGTH
    • STAIR TREAD DIMENSIONS
  • MODEL & SPECIFIC BUILDING CODE CITATIONS FOR STAIRS & RAILINGS
  • STAIR CODES & STANDARDS full list
• BUILDING CODES for STAIRS FAQs

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BUILDING CODES for STAIRS FAQs at InspectApedia.com - online encyclopedia of building & environmental inspection, testing, diagnosis, repair, & problem prevention advice.

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

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