Hand Railing Codes
It is important to check local building codes before planning a hand-railing installation. Some general rules are outlined below, but you can click this link to see a list of railing-pertinent building specifications and testing methods followed by our supplier, Certainteed® Evernew®.
Some basic information related to meeting hand railing codes:
• Porches, balconies, or other raised floor surfaces more than 30 inches above grade are required to have a railing or “guardrail” type of system installed.
• Flat railing sections (see picture #1 below) must be at least 36 inches in height off of the floor surface.
• Stair railing sections (see picture #2 below) must be at least 34 inches in height off of floor surface. This 34 inches is measured vertically from the nose of the stair treads.
• Flat railing sections must be installed no more than 4 inches off of the floor surface.
• Flat railing baluster or picket spacing must be less than 4 inches.
• Triangular openings under stair sections must be no more than 6 inches.
• Stair railing baluster or picket spacing must be less than 4 3/8 inches.
• These are only general requirements for a railing system to meet building codes. Codes may be more stringent in your area and this should be taken into consideration when planning a hand-railing installation.
Here are some links to websites of some organizations involved in developing hand railing related building codes:
• ICC (International Code Council)
• BOCA (Building Officials and Code Administrators International, Inc.). This organization is also involved in fence-related pool codes.
• ICBO (International Conference of Building Officials)
• SBCCI (Southern Building Code Congress International, Inc.)
The ICC (International Code Council) was formed by BOCA, ICBO, and SBCCI in order to create a single set of comprehensive and uniform requirements for building safety. Two of the pertinent codes created by the ICC are the IRC (International Residential Code) and the IBC (International Building Code). CertainTeed® Evernew® railing products meet stringent requirements set forth by the IRC and the IBC.
Picture 1: Kingston flat railing sections with spindles
Picture 2: Kingston stair railing section with spindles