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This document provides building code specifications, sketches, photographs, and examples of defects used in inspecting indoor or outdoor stairs, railings, landings, treads, and related conditions for safety and proper construction. A stair inspection checklist provided in this document outlines information to collect during a field investigation of the condition of an interior or exterior stairway for safety defects. Having investigated cases of severe injury related to falls and railing collapses we developed this field data collection checklist. We also include references to key documents on building codes and stair and railing safety. © Copyright 2008 Daniel Friedman, All Rights Reserved. Information Accuracy & Bias Pledge is at below-left. Use links at the left of each page to navigate this document or to view other topics at this website. Green links show where you are in our document or website. Catalog of Common Stair & Railing Specifications, Stair & Rail Defects & Trip HazardsStairway, Railing, Landing Basic Dimensions & Rules
Separate specifications are provided for circular stairs and winder stairs Use links just below or at the left of each page to navigate this document or to view other topics at this website. Green links show where you are in our document or website. STAIRS, RAILINGS, LANDING INSPECTIONS, CODES Technical Reviewers & ReferencesParticular thanks are due to experts and also consumers who read these articles and suggest corrections, changes, and additions to the material. Content suggestions, technical corrections and content critique are invited for any of the content at our website.
Attic & Basement Stair Inspection & Safety ConcernsWe've had several reports of severe injury involving collapsing attic stairs, including involving home inspectors as well as occupants. Attic & Basement stair defects can be grouped by the stair type as we describe just below. Basic information is just below. See Attic stairs for full details of this topic. Conventional or home-made attic or basement stairways
Attic Folding Stairs or Pull-Down Attic Stairs
Watch for these common folding attic stair or ladder defects:
Balusters
Basic information is just below. See Balusters & Railing Enclosures for full details of this topic. For more details about balusters (vertical spindles in railing construction) see details at Railings for a discussion of safety barriers along stairs, and Guards (railings on landings and open hallways, porches, screened porches, balconies that are more than 30" above floors or grade). As our photo shows, a toddler (in this case very carefully held and supervised) can easily fall through open landing balusters or open balusters on a stairway. We often see guards and railings enclosed using horizontal members or mesh or link fencing materials. Because a toddler can easily climb these materials, they are not safe for guard or railing enclosures and should not be used. We also often see decks and porches more than 30" above ground level with no rail whatsoever, perhaps relying on the placement of plants or furniture to discourage people from stepping too close to the edge. Where building code enforcement was absent or lax we found a deck eight feet above ground with no railings at all. A local inspector opined that because the deck was not attached to the house (it abutted the house) it was exempt from building code enforcement. Our opinion was that code exemption did not do much to reduce the falling hazard and that guards and railings should be provided regardless. Exterior Stair Trip Hazards
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Guards or guard rails referred to in stair codes and specifications refer to the safety barrier placed along the open sides of a horizontal walking surface such as a landing, balcony, deck, or porch. The equivalent safety barrier placed along a stairway itself is discussed at >Railings.
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Examples of Guard rail & Newell Defects
Our photo shows a flimsy metal guardrail that was modified to install along a sloping ceiling, cut, and not properly secured; it led to a fall and serious injuries. In our experience even worse than a missing railing or guard is one which is loose or improperly constructed. When someone is falling and tries to grab a flimsy collapsing railing, injuries are likely to be increased. In this case which we investigated, a painter on the catwalk where I am standing lost his balance, grabbed the railing to save himself, and fell, tangled in this metal railing, into an adjacent stairwell. |
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Stairway handrail & stair balusters & guard details are in this sketch. Balusters (vertical posts comprising the barrier in guards and railings)
Hand-railing heights are given:
Sketch courtesy Carson Dunlop. |
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But this is not a particularly easy rail to grasp if one is falling down the slippery brick stairs. Railings are a critical safety feature on outdoor and indoor stairs, landings, platforms, decks, porches, and similar structures. Some of the fall injury cases we've investigated involved a combination of unsafe stairs and a fall that was made worse when the individual who lost their balance tried to grasp an unsafe handrail. |
Railings in stair codes and specifications refer to the safety barrier along steps or stairs. Also see Guards for details about safety railings on landings and open hallways, porches, screened porches, balconies - horizontal walking surfaces.
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A handrail made out of a 2x6 set on edge or on flat and run along a stairway cannot be grasped. Notice that in the Carson Dunlop sketch, baluster separating space is specified as 4 - 6" (in NY the inspectors require 4") to avoid a head trap for small children.
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The stair stringer is the diagonal supporting structure that carries the weight of the stair assembly as well as people using the stairs. You can see a stair stringer along the upper-edge of the set of stairs lying on their edge in our photo at above-right, after the stairs fell from the stair opening (our photo at above left) during a building renovation project. The stair stringer is secured to the structure at stair top, stair bottom, stair sides, depending on where there are building surfaces present.
Some common stair stringer defects we've found include:
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Rotted stair treads or stringers: watch for rot in wooden stairs, especially at exterior entrances and decks. Where the stair stringer is mounted against a building wall water is often trapped, leading to hidden rot and sudden collapse.
Our photo shows rotting basement stair treads; from the stair top we could see that the entire stairway was twisting and in danger of sudden collapse. The sketch, courtesy Carson Dunlop, predicts stair rot exactly where it's found in our photograph.
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Unsafe connections between stair treads and stringers is also often hidden: check for:
Sketch courtesy Carson Dunlop. |
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Stair stringer movement, as we cited just above, can lead to separation of the connection between treads and the stringer, leading to stair collapse. Examine the stringers for bowing and look for gaps at the ends of treads - but beware: separation and gaps may be hidden if the stair treads were set into groove routed into the stringer. Sketch courtesy Carson Dunlop. |
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Bad Deck Stair Example: Nothing is right about the exterior stairs shown in our photo from a 1991 home inspection:
Another Stair Code Example - Source BOCA 2001.
Another Stair Code Example - BOCA 2001.
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These steps in Spain were uneven in surface, had no side railing, were too narrow, a bit steep, and had that interesting little swing-out gate (with no platform) leading up to an upper balcony with not much of a railing, as our friend Nuria was contemplating. |
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Stair Landings are required at top and bottom (with exceptions at top of interior stairs or in garage if door swings in, away from the stairs)
Examples of Stair Platform or Landing Defects
Sketch courtesy Carson Dunlop. |
Stairway Lighting Requirements
Stairway Lighting is Required, with light switches at top and bottom of the stairway if the stairs encompass more than three stair treads (Canada) or six stair treads (U.S.). Sketch courtesy Carson Dunlop. Stair Lighting Defects
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Angled or Curved stair treads are a particular trip hazard, especially because of the lack of uniformity and because the tread width at the inside of the curve can be too small for safe walking. Our stair photo at above left shows tricky angled stairs that were squeezed onto a sidewalk in New York City. A passerby agreed to model the risk of falling. Sketch courtesy Carson Dunlop.
My daughter fell down curved stairs at a shopping mall where the triangular tread hazard was combined with a beautiful, architect-designed handrail that was about 8" in diameter - she was unable to grasp it as she was falling. The photo shows her sister grasping n added handrail that was welded on to correct this unsafe condition. The original "fat" hand railing that no one could grasp when falling is along the diagonal-right side of the photo. |
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Stairway winders or turns involve triangular treads to complete the turn. As the sketch, courtesy Carson Dunlop, shows, only one set of winders should be allowed in a staircase, and the dimensions shown address tripping hazards. Of course more turns may be involved in a stairway, such as a circular stair. |
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Closed stair treads using a solid riser are shown at the left of the sketch and open stair treads are shown at the right sketch. Notice that the minimum stair tread thickness is increased when the stair tread is not supported by a solid riser. Sketch courtesy Carson Dunlop. |
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Stairway Height, Width, Headroom Requirements
Sketch courtesy Carson Dunlop. Stairwell width and stair landing platform requirements are summarized by this sketch. The minimum recommended stair width is between 34" and 36" ACROSS. The minimum recommended stair landing length is 36" (or a length and width sufficiently greater than the swing of the door if a wider door is present. Notice that a stair top landing is not required if the door at the top of the stair opens away from the stairwell. In these sketches required handrails have been omitted for clarity. Stairway Fire Stopping Requirements
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Fire stopping for stairs is required to slow the spread of building fires between floors and to assist in emergency exit. Sketch courtesy Carson Dunlop. |
Sample excerpts of sources which a building code compliance inspector would be expected to cite in support of requiring a properly-designed, properly-secured guard rail include but are not limited to the citations below.
International Building Code 2000 (BOCA, ICBO, SBCCI)
1003.3.3.4 Stairway landings. There shall be a floor or landing at the top and bottom of each stairway. The width of landings shall not be less than the width of stairways they serve. Every landing shall have a minimum dimension measured in the direction of travel equal to the width of the stairway. Such dimension need not exceed 48 inches (1219 mm) where the stairway has a straight run.
1003.3.3.11.3 Handrail grasp ability. Handrails with a circular cross section shall have an outside diameter of at least 1.25 inches (32 mm) and not greater than 2 inches (51 mm) or shall provide equivalent grasp ability. If the handrail is not circular, it shall have a perimeter dimension of at least 4 inches (102 mm) and not greater than 6.25 inches (159 mm) with a maximum cross-section dimension of 2.25 inches (57 mm). Edges shall have a minimum radius of 0.125 inch (3.2 mm).
100333.11.4 Continuity. Handrail-gripping surfaces shall be continuous, without interruption by newel posts or other obstructions.
1607.7 Loads on Handrails, guards, grab bars and vehicle barriers
1607.7.1.1 Concentrated Load. Handrail assemblies and guards shall be able to resist a single concentrated load of 200 pounds (0.89kN), applied in any direction at any point along the top, and have attachment devices and supporting structure to transfer this loading to appropriate structural elements of the building.
1607.7.1.2 Components. Intermediate rails (all those except the handrail), balusters and panel fillers shall be designed to withstand a horizontally applied normal load of 50 pounds (0.22 kN) on an area not to exceed one square foot (305mm2) including openings and space between rails.
BOCA National Property Maintenance Code 1993:
PM-305.5 Stairs and railings: all interior stairs and railings shall be maintained in sound condition and good repair.
Commentary: Handrails, treads and risers must be structurally sound, firmly attached to the structure, and properly maintained to perform their intended function safely. During an inspection the code official should inspect all stringers, risers, treads, and handrails.
PM-305.6 Handrails and guards: Every handrail and guard shall be firmly fastened and capable of supporting normally imposed loads and shall be maintained in good condition.
Commentary: This section provides for the safety and maintenance of handrails and guards. See Section PM-702.9 for additional requirements.
PM-702.9 Stairways, handrails and guards: Every exterior and interior flight of stairs having more than four risers, and every open portion of a stair, landing or balcony which is more than 30 inches (762mm) high, nor more than 42 inches (1067mm) high, measured vertically above the nosing of the tread or above the finished floor of the landing or walking surfaces. Guards shall be not less than 30 inches (762mm) high above the floor of the landing or balcony.
Commentary: Handrails are required on all stairs more than four risers in height. Handrails cannot be less than 30 inches nor more than 42 inches above the nosing of the treads (see Figure PM-702.9).
Guards are required on the open side of stairs and on landings and balconies which are more than 30 inches above the floor or grade below. The guard must be at least 30 inches above the floor of the landing or balcony. Guards are to contain intermediate rails, balusters or other construction to reduce the chance of an adult or child from falling through the guard. If the guard is missing some intermediate rails or balustrades, it is recommended that the guard be repaired to its original condition if it will provide protection equivalent to the protection it provided when originally constructed.
| Stair Inspection Notes and Observations | ||
| Client: | . | |
| RE Case: | . | |
| Location: | . | |
| Inspection Date & Conditions: | . | |
| Inspector: | . | |
| Item | Measurement | Comments |
| Total Stairway Rise | . | . |
| Total Stairway Run | . | . |
| Landing top dimensions | . | . |
| ht. vs. int. floor | . | . |
| Entry door swing in/out | . | . |
| Landing intermediate dims. | . | . |
| Landing bottom dimensions | . | . |
| Tread width = stair width | . | . |
| Tread depth (horizontal) | . | . |
| Individual Tread Conditions | ||
| 1 Tread, riser ht./condition | . | . |
| 2 Tread, riser ht./condition | . | . |
| 3 Tread, riser ht./condition | . | . |
| 4 Tread, riser ht./condition | . | . |
| 5 Tread, riser ht./condition | . | . |
| 6 Tread, riser ht./condition | . | . |
| 7 Tread, riser ht./condition | . | . |
| 8 Tread, riser ht./condition | . | . |
| 9 Tread, riser ht./condition | . | . |
| 10 Tread, riser ht./condition | . | . |
| 11 Tread, riser ht./condition | . | . |
| 12 Tread, riser ht./condition | . | . |
| Tread nose (indic. variation) | . | . |
| Tread level F-R (indic var) | . | . |
| Tread level L-R (indic var) | . | . |
| . | . | . |
| Railing Conditions | ||
| Railing height @ | . | . |
| Railing height @ | . | . |
| Railing height @ | . | . |
| Railing security | . | . |
| Railing cross section/Shape | . | |
| Baluster Conditions | ||
| Baluster spacing | . | . |
| 2nd Railing height @ | . | . |
| 2nd Railing height @ | . | . |
| 2nd Railing height @ | . | . |
| Lighting Conditions | ||
| Lighting/Switch at/watts/condition | . | . |
| Other Observations: | ||
| . | ||
| . | ||
| . | ||
| © Copyright 2008 Daniel Friedman | ||
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Particular thanks are due to experts and also consumers who read these articles and suggest corrections, changes, and additions to the material. Content suggestions, technical corrections and content critique are invited for any of the content at our website.
Use links just below or at the left of each page to navigate this document or to view other topics at this website. Green links show where you are in our document or website.
STAIRS, RAILINGS, LANDING INSPECTIONS, CODES
Attic stairs
Balusters & Railing Enclosures
Basement Stairs & Walkout Covers
Checklist for Stair Inspections
Codes for Stairs
Exterior stairs
Fire Stopping for Stairways
Guardrails on Balconies & Landings
Lighting over Stairs
Railings on Stairways
Stair dimensions: width height &c
Stairway headroom
Stairway landings
Step riser dimensions
Step tread dimensions
Stair tread nose dimensions
Wiinder stairs
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09/12/2008 - 01/14/2002 www.inspect-ny.com/structure/StairCheck.htm - Web page design & content © 2008 - 2002 Copyright Daniel Friedman All Rights Reserved - InspectAPedia® is a Registered U.S. Trademark
