Stair baluster safety & code specifications:

This article describes procedures for performing safety inspections of the balusters used on indoor or outdoor stairs, railings, landings.

As our photo shows, Chloe Mei, a toddler (in this case very carefully held and supervised) could easily fall through widely separated open landing balusters or open balusters on a stairway.

Balusters and Safe Spacing for Stair Railings & Balcony or Landing Rails

Having investigated cases of severe injury related to falls and railing collapses we developed this field data collection checklist. We also include references to key documents on building codes and stair and railing safety.

Injuries due to stair or guardrail baluster failures do occur, it's not just theory.

In 2006 a Tampa Bay Florida child, Julia Grimes, was critically injured after a glue-and-staple-constructed guardrail at the top of a residential stair gave way.

This accident could have been prevented if the home's owners had understood the implication of loose, wobbly balusters and guardrailing, but news reports of the guardrail failure also suggest that the railing in a home built in 1994 and constructed using glue and staples, was unable to withstand anticipated loads (200 pounds) or even smaller forces such as that imposed by a child leaning on the railing. - Tampa Bay Times, 18 January 2006 cited atReferences or Citations

Even if the guardrailing has adequate strength it may be unsafe if it is too low or if the spacing between its balusters is too great. Horizontal guardrail enclosures are also a child hazard.

We often see guards and railings enclosed using horizontal members or mesh or link fencing materials. Because a toddler can easily climb these materials, they are not safe for guard or railing enclosures and should not be used.

We also often see decks and porches more than 30" above ground level with no guardrail whatsoever, perhaps relying on the placement of plants or furniture to discourage people from stepping too close to the edge.

Where building code enforcement was absent or lax we found a deck eight feet above ground with no railings at all. A local inspector opined that because the deck was not attached to the house (it abutted the house) it was exempt from building code enforcement.

Our opinion was that code exemption did not do much to reduce the falling hazard and that guards and railings should be provided regardless.

Look closely at stair and guard rail balusters for loose, split, broken, or damaged balusters. Someone tried an over-sized common nail to "repair" this loose baluster at its connection to the stair tread.

The result is a dangerous child hazard as this baluster could easily be pushed out of place.

Baluster Spacing Rules for Guards & Railings

Stairway handrail & stair balusters & guard details are in this sketch.

Balusters (vertical posts comprising the barrier in guards and railings)

• Baluster opening between vertical members
  
  (maximum sphere passage <= 4 3/8" or in U.S. and some other jurisdictions <= 4") [
  
  Thanks to Steve Stanczyk for pointing out that 4 inches is the maximum recommended baluster space opening width]
• Baluster opening in triangular area below stair guard bottom rail and stair tread 
  
  (maximum sphere passage <= 6")

Hand-railing heights are given:

• U.S. handrails for stairs with one side against a wall: 30-38"
• U.S. handrails at open stairs: 34-38" above the stairs
• Canadian stair handrails: 32-36" above the stairs
• Wall clearance:
  
  Handrails along a wall must have at least 1.5" of clearance between the inside surface of the rail and the wall surface.
• Railings should not project
  
   into the required width of the stairway by more than 4.5" at or below the handrail height above the stairs.
• Floor clearance:
  
  OPINION: we recommend either 4" between bottom surface of the guardrail or stair rail bottom and the top of the floor surface, or use 2" or less to avoid a foot trap. See the foot trap anecdote we report
  
  at GUARDRAIL CODES & STANDARDS

Sketch courtesy of Carson Dunlop Associates, a Toronto home inspection, education & report writing tool company [ carsondunlop.com ].

How to Fix Too-Wide Stair Baluster Spacing

Reader Question: Methods for reducing the space between stair balusters that are too far apart

We have an apartment complex in Oregon, and the insurance company is requiring that we tighten up the metal posts on the railings.

The railings on the premises currently have vertical balusters that are more than 4 inches apart. Baluster spacing of 4 inches increase the protection for small children sliding through.

It is recommended to replaced the railing with vertical balusters that are no more than 4 inches apart to reduce the risk of small children falling. Is there an easy fix for this? - Tami 7/23/12

Reply: Suggestions for tightening up baluster spacing at a stair railing:

Tami:

We made this same repair recently on a circular stair that had vertical balusters that were too far apart by having our welder add additional balusters in between the existing ones so that the opening was less than 4" between baluster pairs.

This was less costly than tearing out the whole rail and building a new one to exactly 4" on spec. Our new balusters varied a bit but were about 3.5" apart side to side or on center.

Watch out though: if you make the vertical balusters too close together, but far enough apart for a toddler to stick a foot through the space - say 2 1/2" they can become a foot trap. No child will fall through but s/he an get a foot stuck in the space by inserting it between the balusters, then turning it to one side.

The ensuing panic requires an adult to sort out and remove the foot - as happened with my Godson Joshua Waterman years ago. His mom called me in hysterics that his foot was stuck in the balusters at their home and he couldn't get it out.

I drove like a madman across town but just as I arrived in the driveway Josh turned his foot the proper direction and extracted himself from the trap without any adult assistance.

Full Text of Adopted Building Codes 2006, 2012

• ALASKA, ARKANSAS, & Other U.S. STATES 1 & 2 FAMILY BUILDING CODE 2006 [PDF] Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, District of Columbia, Georgia, Kentucky, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New HYork, South Carolina, Wyoming, et alia as they adopted their version of the International Residential Code® For One- and Two- Family Dwellings, 2006, Retrieved 2016/09/17 original source: online ref for ICC_IRC (2006) https://law.resource.org/pub/us/code/ibr/icc.irc.2006.pdf (appendix E)
• INTERNATIONAL RESIDENTIAL Code® for One- and Two- Family Dwellings, 2012 [PDF] [17 MB] Retrieved 2016/09/17 original source: online ref for IRC 2012 version https://learnframing.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/IRC.pdf (the 2012
• IRELAND (Northern Ireland) STAIR GUARD LANDING RAMP CODE [PDF] ret. 2018/11/23, original source: http://www.buildingcontrol-ni.com/assets/pdf/H2006.pdf

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Reader Q&A - also see RECOMMENDED ARTICLES & FAQs

On 2021-03-25 by JOY - We have a six inch space between balusters. Condo says that's legal.

I have read that maximum spacing between balusters in an outside above ground railing is four inches. I need to know when the code changed with a citation of some sort as my condo association says that railing was installed to meet code in 2005. We have a six inch space between balusters. I want to show them something in print they cannot refute. I have been unsuccessful in my internet research. Thank you.

On 2021-03-25 5 - by (mod) -

@JOY, there is not the slightest chance that anywhere in the US in 2005 building codes permitted to 6 inch space between balusters

On 2021-03-27 by JOY

Thanks for your quick reply. My condo association management is saying the railing they installed in ‘05 was code and they say they will repair spindles but bony replace railing. How can I prove they are wrong.?

On 2021-03-27 by (mod) - management incorrectly claims widely-spaced guardrail baluster "met code"

@JOY,

The local code enforcement official is the final legal authority on code-compliance questions.

*IF* your local building department inspected the stairway in question back in 2005, and *IF* they found no issue, and *IF* the balusters you see now are those that were installed back in 2005,

THEN you are not likely to find that the building department officials are going to say they were mistaken. "You can't fight city hall".

Separately, in North America, there is no model building code in North America that in 2005 permitted a wider than 4-inch spacing between vertical balusters from above the step or above a balcony or similar walking surface protected by a guard.

You don't state your location nor what building codes your community has adopted. (or adopted with modifications as is sometimes the case) - you need to get a copy of your local building code that was in effect at the time in question.

Among the model building codes commonly adopted in the U.S.

The BOCA building code - has required 4-inch baluster spacing since 1990

The UBC or Uniform Building Code - has required 4-inch baluster spacing since 1991

The CABO building code - has required 4-inch baluster spacing since 1995

Because balusters form part of a guardrail along a balcony or porch or part of a stair guard along an open stairway, more code citations are at

GUARDRAIL CODES & STANDARDS inspectapedia.com/Stairs/Guardrailing_Codes.php

and at

BALUSTERS, STAIR & RAILING (this present page inspectapedia.com/Stairs/Stair_Baluster_Codes.php )

and at

at RAILING CODES & STANDARDS for a discussion of safety barriers along stairs.

inspectapedia.com/Stairs/Railing_Codes_Specifications.php

and at

BUILDING CODE DOWNLOADS inspectapedia.com/Design/COPIES-of-BUILDING-CODES.php

You might also want to notify your property management, in writing, that an unsafe condition, a child hazard, is present along stairs or balconies; having been notified in writing, claiming that "it met code when it was built" isn't going to hold water, less-so when it proves that that claim was itself, false.

Watch out: Ultimately, the cost in time and trouble for remediating this safety hazard may be less than the cost of arguing about it. Until someone is injured.

When a child falls through a guardrail and is injured, claiming the guard "met code" (which it did not in fact do) fifteen years ago, will be a lame excuse that will have, in my OPINION, poor healing qualities.

On 2021-01-06 by Greg - strength requirement for stair guard balusters

Is there a structural requirement for the vertical spacers on interior home handrails?

On 2021-01-06 by (mod)

Yes Greg, balusters along a stair guard are not just ornamental, they must keep someone from falling through.

In the recommended reading links or in the ARTICLE INDEX take a look at

GUARDRAIL & HANDRAIL STRENGTH & TESTING REQUIREMENTS

and thanks for a helpful question

On 2020-10-03 by hunter - measurements when placing the ballister at bottom of stairs

is ther specific measurements when placing the ballister at bottom of stairs

On 2020-10-03 by Moderator Daniel Friedman

Hunter:

You'll see in detail in the article above that the balusters form the protective screen of a stair guard that keeps people, especially children or anyone who falls from falling off the side of the stairway; that stair guard continues along the full passage of the open sides of stairways, from top to bottom.

But the specifics of the very top and bottom baluster and their spacing are the same as the rest of the balusters along the stair guard.

On 2018-09-28 by David Scott - what is the number of pounds of resistance allowed for a handrail

Pounds of resistance against a handrail allowed.

On 2018-09-28 - by (mod) -

IBC 1607.7.1 Handrails and guards - strength requirements

Handrail assemblies and guards shall be designed to resist a load of 50 pounds per linear foot (pound per foot) (0.73 kN/m) applied in any direction at the top and to transfer this load through the supports to the structure

IBC 1607.7.1.1 Concentrated load - strength requirements at handrails and guardrailings

Handrail assemblies and guards shall be able to resist a single concentrated load of 200 pounds (0.89kN), applied in any direction at any point along the top, and have attachment devices and supporting structure to transfer this loading to appropriate structural elements of the building.

- www.ci.bristol.ct.us/DocumentCenter/View/58/Deck-Information?bidId=

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Continue reading at BALUSTER INSTALLATION or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.

Or see these BALUSTERS, STAIR & RAILING FAQs - questions and answers posted originally at the end of this article.

Or see these

Recommended Articles

• RAILING CODES & SPECIFICATIONS - home
  • ADA STAIR & RAIL SPECIFICATIONS
  • BALUSTERS, STAIR & RAILING CODES
  • BALUSTER INSTALLATION
  • BALUSTER INSTALLATION METAL
  • CABLE RAILINGS & GUARDRAILS - home
  • DECK & PORCH GUARDRAILINGS
  • GUARDRAIL CODES & STANDARDS
  • GUARDRAILINGS, BEST PRACTICES
  • GUARDRAIL CONSTRUCTION, DECKS & RAMPS
  • GUARDRAIL POST CODES & SPECS
  • GUARDRAILS on STAIRS, DESIGN
  • RAILING POST CONNECTIONS
  • GUARDRAIL & HANDRAIL STRENGTH & TESTING REQUIREMENTS
  • GUARDRAILs on STAIRS, CONSTRUCTION
  • GUARDRAILS on STAIRS, DESIGN
  • HANDRAILS & HANDRAILINGS
  • RAILINGS, DECK & PORCH
  • RAILING POST CONNECTIONS
  • RAILINGS, STAIRWAY
  • RETAINING WALL GUARDRAIL CODE
• STAIR CODES & STANDARDS - home

Suggested citation for this web page

BALUSTERS, STAIR & RAILING CODES at InspectApedia.com - online encyclopedia of building & environmental inspection, testing, diagnosis, repair, & problem prevention advice.

Or see this

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

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Citations & References

In addition to any citations in the article above, a full list is available on request.

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