How High Should Railings Be on Stairways?

Codes

• If contractors want building authorities to approve their constructions, they must follow standards specified in local, state and some federal codes. These regulations are based on the International Residential Code, which was developed by the International Code Council. These codes standardize any conflicting construction standards so that contractors who learn stairway railing construction in one part of the country like Seattle, can create code-approved stairs in any other part of the United States, like Miami.

Sizes

• Stairway railings that are circular must have an outside diameter between 1 1/4 and 2 inches. If they are not circular, their perimeter dimension must be between 4 and 6 1/4 inches, with a maximum cross section of 2 1/4 inches. Handrails can also have perimeters greater than 6 1/4 inches if they have graspable finger recess areas on both sides of the profile. These recesses must start at 3/4 inches as measured from the tallest part of the profile and continue to at least 1 3/4 inches below the tallest part of the profile.

Height

• The top of the handrail plus the length of the baluster or support posts must total a height of 34 to 38 inches as measured from either the sloped plane next to the stairstep edges or the surface of the adjoining ramp slope. Handrails can exceed this height if they provide a continuous transition between flights of stairs or if they’re used to transition between handrails and guardrails. Balusters and other supports may take any design or pattern as long as a 4-inch sphere cannot pass between their spaces. This prevents small children from sticking their heads in those spaces and possibly choking.

Others

• Spiral stairways take up far less space than standard, inclined stairways and are popular in small rooms. Handrails for these types of stairways must follow normal stair standards. However, the clear width step width below the handrails must be at least 26 inches, not counting support posts or balusters. Bulkhead enclosure stairways can ignore these railing standards if they meet all the following conditions: They must connect an outside grade level to a finished lower level, such as a basement; the maximum height from the finished basement level to the adjacent great level must be 8 feet or less; and the opening from the grade level to the stairway must be covered by at least one hinged door.