Second Floor Porch Railing

If your porch floor is over the heights stated the code requires a balustrade porch railing.
Second floor porch railing. The international residential code irc adopted by most us cities and towns requires 36 in high deck railings for decks more than 30 in. The codes are based on the international building code and the international residential building code and deck railings and guards must meet or exceed the minimum requirements. A deck with no or inadequate railings is an accident waiting to happen. If you build a bench or level seating area along the edge of the balcony it cannot count as the guardrail itself if the balcony floor is located 30 inches or higher above the surrounding ground.
For example a fine clear glass rail will be significantly more costly than a pressure treated pre fabricated rail. The sweep space between the deck surface and the bottom rail must be less than 4. Critical railing post connections are simplified by using engineered framing hardware. Handrail ends must be returned and terminated at rail.
Even if your balcony has additional supports potentially categorizing it as a porch or deck it must have guardrails based on the same 30 inch rule. Deck guardrails guards should rise to at least 36 inches above the residential deck level. The top edge of the handrail must be placed between 34 and 38 above the nosing of the stair treads. Your historic railing is perfectly legal since it is grand fathered to.
Our composite rail kit features 15 round aluminum powder coated balusters pre drilled top and bottom rail for speedy and simple installation and a solid top rail l brackets to attach the rail to post post sold separately and color coordinated deck screws to attach top rail. Deck railings are another cost factor and choosing a more expensive railing option will affect the cost of the deck. Deck guardrail height. This is a minimum required height for residential structure higher guards are acceptable.
Building codes for deck railing. Adding stairs to a second story deck will increase the cost by about 1 500 on average. Well that may not sound high to you but in almost all cases that is entirely too high. Therefore some codes may require railings if your porch is 15 or 24 inches above grade.
The problem is that the building code porch rail height must be at least 36 to 42 inches. In most cases you are required to have a railing when the floor of your porch is 30 inches or more above grade. If you are concerned about safety consider these lower. To ensure safety individual communities in the united states regulate certain aspects.
North carolina building codes for deck railings are the same as any other state s. Handrails are required for stairs and must meet standards as specified by r311 5 6 3 in the irc code. See our porch railings calculations guide.