| Okay, pay attention
and put your thinking caps on.
Would this lower guard rail be considered a guard rail, even though the
stair landing isn't higher than 30 inches from the lower level?
These are the types of problems that architects, contractors and
building department officials, can have problems interpreting. There's a
good chance that it wouldn't create a safety problem, if this handrail
wasn't even there. So how can we interpret this building code?
Here is how I would interpret the gray area of this building code.
It's part of the stairway, so therefore it's required to have a guard
rail. The entire stairway itself is higher than 30 inches, so the lower
stair landing wouldn't be a separate part of the stairway. Therefore the
balusters would need to be spaced, according to the local building codes
in your area.
Obviously this situation could be debated with your local building
department, but would it be worth it in the long run.
Attention: Don't forget to check with your local
building department to verify any building codes on this website. This
information could be incorrect or outdated. Building codes are updated
regularly and to some building departments have different
interpretations for certain building codes.
Back To
Baluster Spacing
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