Commercial Stair Handrail Regulations
Stair railing and stair guards though they may sound like the same thing are different.
Commercial stair handrail regulations. Unlike residential stairs that only require a handrail on one side commercial stairs require handrails on both sides. Looking for commercial stair requirements. 1910 25 b 2 vertical clearance above any stair tread to any overhead obstruction is at least 6 feet 8 inches 203 cm as measured from the leading edge of the tread. When are stair rails guards required.
Stair railing runs on the stair incline up and down. Stair rail system. The minimum width for stairways shall not be less than 36 inches clear. In a private dwelling regulations require a nosing overlap of at least 16mm.
Top rail may also serve as handrail if height of the system is between 36 and 38 inches. The top rail must be at least 42 inches in height 1910 29 f 1 ii b and the handrail must be 30 to 38 inches in height 1910 29 f 1 i as measured at the leading edge of the stair tread to the top surface of the rail. While the finer details will ultimately be influenced by your local government s building regulations the international building code the international residential code and the standards set by the americans with disabilities act of 1990 maintain that exterior stairs that are a required point of egress in other words stairs that must be crossed on your way in and out of the building. Now let s get into what those residential stair requirements are stair width.
Our photo above illustrates very challenging stairs with a high rise climbing to over 230 feet at the pyramid of the sun in teotihuacán outside of mexico city. It is required on stairs with two or more risers and ada ramps with a rise of 6. The construction of steps. In commercial applications handrail is required on both sides of stairs and ramps.
The stairway section of the code refers us to section 1014 for handrail code requirements which you can read more about at the following link here. Can a stair rail be a handrail too. Now when handrails are introduced they shall not project more than 4 inches on either side. One word on terminology.
Handrail and guard definitions handrail the purpose of a handrail is to provide guidance. Handrails must be between 30 and 38 inches as measured from the leading edge of the stair tread. For stair rail systems installed on or after january 17 2017 the top rail and handrail must be separate. Summary of code requirements for commercial stairs.
Nosings of steps should be at least 16mm. By contrast stair guards run horizontally along a flat area with a drop on the other side. Shop for commercial grade fusion stair parts here. Handrails for commercial stairs.
Be sure to check out this post. Building regulations stipulate that staircase steps should all be level. Handrails stair rail systems and guardrail systems are provided in accordance with 1910 28.