Balcony Railing Height Standard
Each community has different height requirements to determine if the porch or balcony requires railings.
Balcony railing height standard. Railing height is measured from the top of the deck surface to the top of the deck rail. Railings for residential decks require a height of 3 feet from the floor of the deck to the rail top surface as mandated by the irc. Commercial decks attached to multifamily buildings such as apartment buildings or businesses are regulated under the internation building code ibc. Balcony railing slats are usually required to have no more than 4 inches of space between them and rise no more than 4 inches from the balcony surface.
The minimum deck railing height allowed is 36 inches in most states and provinces. The top of the handrail should be at least 34 inches. Stair rails on decks should be between 34 inches and 38 inches high measured vertically from the nose of the tread to the top of the rail. Install railings on any deck that is 30 inches or more from the surrounding surface and on at least one side of a stairway leading to the deck.
Additionally standard balcony railing heights are typically 42 inches above the balcony deck meaning the railing must extend that high and be capped by a horizontal rail for easy gripping. This applies to the broad majority of the united states for all residential decks. This should measure from the top edge of the top rail down to the the deck surface. Treads must be at least 10 inches deep measuring from front to back.
Deck railing height should be a minimum of 36 inches. The code has some very specific requirements for deck stairs. Decks 24 to 5 10 180 cm need 36 guards and anything above 5 10 requires a 42 high railing. The minimum height of the railing varies based on the height of the deck.
Height requirements the international residential code requires balcony railings to be 36 inches high for homes. Commercial railings necessitate a higher railing at 42 inches as regulated by the ibc. Respect minimum height requirements safety is important and something that should always supersede style. The top rail must be at least 42 inches in height 1910 29 f 1 ii b and the handrail must be 30 to 38 inches in height 1910 29 f 1 i as measured at the leading edge of the stair tread to the top surface of the rail.
The irc requires guardrails to be at least 36 in height measured from the deck surface to the top of the rail. See enclosed figure 2 for an example of a stair rail system installed after january 17 2017.