Triangular openings formed by the riser, tread and bottom rail of a guard at the open side of a stairway should be such that a sphere 6 inches (152 mm) cannot pass through. Required guards on open sides of stairways, raised floor areas, balconies and porches shall have intermediate rails or ornamental closures which do not allow passage of a sphere 4 inches (102mm) or more in diameter.Įxceptions to the spacing rules given above:
History of Model Building Code Specifications for Opening Size & Ladder Effect in Guardrails Watch out: because local state or provincial building codes adopt model codes from different years and because the final legal authority always rests with local building officials, you should check with your local building department about what guardrailing specifications are required where you live. Model Building Code Citations on Allowable Openings Code Citations pertinent to Cable Railings We also provide an ARTICLE INDEX for this topic, or you can try the page top or bottom SEARCH BOX as a quick way to find information you need. Where the presence of children argues against any sort of horizontally-run guard railing member, cable railing manufacturers can provide vertical cable railing designs. We include definitions of guardrail, a handrailing or stairway handrail, and other terms that assist in understanding the building code, construction, and safety requirements that wire cable type railings must meet.
This article series describes and includes illustrations of cable or wire rope railings or guardrails used along decks, balconies, walkways and stairways. We give the allowable opening size between guardrail or stair guard openings including the 4" sphere and 6" sphere passage through openings guidelines. This article lists historical and current model building codes regulating guardrail openings, cable railings, and railings where the ladder-effect, climbable guardrails, may be present. Model Building Code citations for cable railings or wire rope guardrails: We have no relationship with advertisers, products, or services discussed at this website. InspectAPedia tolerates no conflicts of interest.