Exterior handrails needed for two family house?

No idea. but my GC, architect, and the metal shop where I order the railing all confirmed the 42″ height requirement.

krobertson

in General Discussion 6 years ago

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miamia2211

in General Discussion 6 years and 1 month ago

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Are exterior handrails needed for a concrete staircase with four risers leading to the side of the house? It is about 28” high.

There is another concrete staircase leading to the backyard also four risers but about 31” high. There is metal handrail there now but no posts in between so the space is open.

Finally there is a concrete staircase with four risers leading down 38” to the backyard door. [96A936CF-A87A-48A5-9E80-03C400185061](//muut.com/u/brownstoner/s3/:brownstoner:zvRw:96a936cfa87a48a59e8003c400185061.jpeg.jpg) does this need a handrail of some sort?

It’s an owner occupied two family from 1940. Tenants live on ground floor but dont have access to any of these staircases. Wondering if this is all grandfathered in , and if not, which staircases may need rails up to code.

Thanks!

krobertson

in General Discussion 6 years and 1 month ago

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If DOB is coming to inspect work on the property, then probably yes. I have 2 staircases about 27″ high. Both my contractor and architect said I will need to install handrails up to code even though there were none originally when the house was built. I asked my architect if it was considered grandfathered and was told it doesn’t matter, inspector will want to see one. Railing needs to be 42″ high on the top platform and 36″ high on the stairs portion. Bars need to be no more then 4 or 4.5″ apart. Ask a railing company, they should know the requirements. Basement stairs needed 36″ high railings as well.

miamia2211

in General Discussion 6 years and 1 month ago

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Thanks for the reply. Those measurements per recent code are what a railing company told me as well. However, they did not mention the 42″ high on the top platform. Do you mean for the top riser the straight rail has to be 42″ high? I don’t have any recent work to be inspected by DOB on the property, just want to install the rails for for safety reasons. However, I do have an irritating neighbor harassing me with false 311 complaints so expecting random DOB inspector visits. The complaints are unrelated to the stairs but one of these staircases is visible from the street so not sure if I can still get dinged for that.

krobertson

in General Discussion 6 years and 1 month ago

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The 42″ is for the landing area at the very top of the stairs that’s a bit deeper than the actual steps. A lot of stairs have them, its where you stand to open the door. The railing there should be horizontal, like what you see on a balcony and it needs to be 42″ in height from the top of the landing to the top of the handrail. I was told this requirement just changed just a few years ago, it use to be a 36″ requirement, same as the stairs. Walk around your neighborhood and you will see them, its the railings with two different heights. Of course if you don’t have a landing area, and only steps (e.g. some back doors) then you won’t need the 42″ portion.

miamia2211

in General Discussion 6 years ago

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Just curious, is the 42″ part of the 2014 Building Code? I couldn’t find it. Thanks for your reply either way. It was very helpful!