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• Irc stair rail code code#

According to the IRC code, all open risers that are 30 inches off of the ground or more must not have an opening that allows a 4-inch-diameter sphere to pass through.Įxceptions – Spiral staircases should not have a riser taller than 9 1/2 inches, and open risers on spiral staircases do not have an opening size restriction. Some risers don’t have a solid piece of material between treads, leaving them open air.

Irc stair rail code code#

However, the IRC code also states that risers cannot be angled more than 30 degrees from the vertical. Non-vertical risers are typically angled toward the person climbing the stairs.

Vertical stair risers are pretty self-explanatory, but angled stair risers have a little more to them. There are many ways to construct stair risers, but most fall into two categories regarding their position: vertical and angled. All risers should also be roughly the same height, with the tallest riser and the shortest riser not having a difference of more than 3/4 inch. The maximum stair riser height is 7 3/4 inches. It’s also important to note that stair riser measurements and code guidelines do not include any carpet, rugs, or runners on the staircase treads. You usually measure stair risers from the leading edge of the lower tread to the leading edge of the tread above. Stair risers are the vertical (or near-vertical) elements that separate treads on a staircase from each other. Stairs that are at or below the handrail height must have a minimum clear width of 36 inches.Įxceptions – Spiral stairways should have a clear width at or below the handrails of at least 26 inches. In addition, any stairs that are at or below that height, measured from the ground, should follow the following guidelines. At or Below the Handrail HeightĪccording to the IRC code, handrails should be no less than 34 inches tall and 38 inches tall. If a staircase has two handrails, one on both the right and left sides, the stairs above the handrail height must be a minimum of 27 inches wide.

If a staircase has only one handrail on either the left or right side, the stairs above the handrail height must be a minimum of 31 1/2 inches wide. Therefore, all stairs above the handrail height measured from the floor (including the height of the treads) are subject to the following codes. The IRC states that handrails must be between 34 and 38 inches tall. Therefore, they have different requirements, and we’ll discuss the differences in the next few sections. The IRC code differentiates between stairs at or below the handrail height and stairs above the handrail height. In this situation, you would measure stair width from the inside of the handrails. Usually, this is from wall to wall, but it may differ depending on the type of stairs you are constructing (such as half landing stairs).Īn exception to this measuring rule is if the handrails extend more than 4 1/2 inches into the stair. You usually measure stair width above the handrails and between whatever obstructions are on either side of the stairs. Much like the name suggests, stair width is simply the clear horizontal width of a stair. Spiral staircases only require a minimum headroom of 78 inches (6 feet 6 inches). IRC code states that there should be a minimum of 80 inches (6 feet 8 inches) of headroom above every stair or landing.Įxceptions – When a flight of stairs leads into an opening in the floor above, the opening cannot extend into the required headspace more than 4 3/4 inches. Calculating headroom on a staircase is pretty straightforward: you measure vertically how much space is between the ceiling and the tread on a stair or the surface of a landing. Headroom on a staircase is the amount of space above a landing or stair. There are many reasons for this vertical rise limit, but it is primarily for safety reasons. However, you would measure vertical rise from the floor to the next landing if the staircase spans multiple stories.Īccording to the IRC, a staircase should have a maximum vertical rise of 151 inches (12 feet 7 inches).Ī staircase must be less than or equal to 151 inches tall from top to bottom, or you must place a landing partway up if the stairs need to extend taller.

You usually measure vertical rise from the floor to the top of the stairs. Vertical rise is the total height of a staircase. Video can’t be loaded because JavaScript is disabled: First Time Building Stairs – Everything You Need To Know () Vertical Rise