Balcony Railing Height
C the top of stair railings handrails and handrail extensions installed on or after april 3 1997 shall be at a vertical height between 34 and 38 inches above the nosing of treads and landings.
Balcony railing height. A railing is only necessary if the deck is 30 or more off the ground and 24 in certain jurisdictions. Deck railing height is a minimum of 36. Commercial decks attached to multifamily buildings such as apartment buildings or businesses are regulated under the internation building code ibc. The permissible tolerance on height dimensions is one inch.
Respect minimum height requirements safety is important and something that should always supersede style. Each community has different height requirements to determine if the porch or balcony requires railings. In some states such as california the minimum height is 42. There is no maximum height.
Decks 24 to 5 10 180 cm need 36 guards and anything above 5 10 requires a 42 high railing. For business or fencing use the railings should be 42 or 48 inches. The international residential code requires balcony railings to be 36 inches high for homes. The minimum height of the railing varies based on the height of the deck.
The irc requires guardrails to be at least 36 in height measured from the deck surface to the top of the rail.