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Are handrails required for interior stairs?

Author

Sophia Bowman

Updated on March 04, 2026

Are handrails required for interior stairs?

Stairways shall have handrails on each side, and every stairway required to be more than 88 inches (2235 mm) in width shall be provided with not less than one intermediate handrail for each 88 inches (2235 mm) or required width. Private stairways 30 inches (762) or less in height may have a handrail on one side only.

Beside this, can you have stairs without a railing?

Height handrail is required:

The building regulations state that, handrail must be provided at the sides of flights where there is a drop of more than 600mm. This means that, on most staircases, the maximum number of steps you can have without a handrail is two, an example of this would be as shown to the left.

Similarly, what is the code for interior railings? On a stair, since handrail must be between 34" and 38", the handrail and the top of the guard can be one and the same. In commercial applications, the IBC requires a minimum height of 42". On stairs, once there is a 30" drop, a handrail will be required and placed between 34" and 38" above the nosing.

Besides, do internal stairs require handrails?

Short answer: In most cases, yes – but it mainly depends on the height and dimensions of your stairs. So if your stairs are more than one metre in height with no walls on both sides, then it will need handrails installed with it.

How many stairs before you need a railing?

The building code does not refer to the number of “steps†but it does require a handrail when there are two or more “risersâ€. For clarification, a “riser†is the vertical portion of a stair. The “tread†is the top of a step. A two riser minimum would translate to two steps.

Is it illegal not to have bannisters on stairs?

Stairs should have a handrail on at least one side if they are less than 1metre wide, or both sides if they are wider. Stairs do not need a handrail on the bottom two steps. In all the buildings handrail height should be between 900mm and 1000mm measured from the top of the handrail to the pitch line.

What is code for handrails on stairs?

Handrails are required to: – be between 900mm and 1100mm above the floor or the nosing of a stair tread – shaped for people to easily grasp their hand and fingers (like a 'power grip') around the handrail (circular or rectangular in shape) – have a minimum hand clearance of 50mm between the handrail and adjacent

What is the space under the stairs called?

Spandrel. If there is not another flight of stairs immediately underneath, the triangular space underneath the stairs is called a “spandrelâ€.

At what height is a handrail required?

As with barriers the top surface of the handrail must be at least 865mm vertically above the nosings of the stair tread or floor surface of a ramp.

Do all deck stairs need handrails?

Nope. You don't need a handrail on both sides, but you may need a railing if your deck is higher than 30″. Many contractors construct a combo handrail and stair rail system, installed on both sides, to cover all safety requirements.

What is the 18 rule for a staircase?

Rule one says that rise plus run (r+R) should equal 18 inches. Why? That's what most people find to be a comfortable stride on most stairs. You can cheat a bit up or down, but below 17†and more than 19†will result in steps that require strides either too big or too small for most people.

What side of stairs does handrail go on?

Instead, handrails should always, first of all, go on the open side of the staircase. As you may have guessed: the open side means the side that doesn't have a guarding wall. These handrails are installed as full railings mounted on the staircase.

Are horizontal railings safe?

In a cable railing system, the cables can be oriented horizontally or vertically. Horizontal cables can be dangerous for children (and children-at-heart), who might view the cables like rungs of a ladder and attempt to climb up. For this reason, some jurisdictions don't allow horizontal railings.

Do you need a railing for 3 steps?

Do I need a handrail for 3 steps? A small stairway of just three steps will require a handrail if it rises more than 1 metre in total. This may depend on the height and thickness of the steps.

Where should a handrail start and stop?

Handrail Height: 34 to 38 Inches

Handrail height on the stairs should be no less than 34 inches and no greater than 38 inches. The way this is measured is to begin at the leading edge of the stair nosing and run an imaginary vertical line upward until it reaches the top of the railing.

Is handrail a code?

1 The height of handrails shall be not more than 85 cm measured vertically above pitch line; a handrail is required for all stairs, or ramp having rise of more than 60 cm. 7.5. 2 The sizes of handrails, when made of hardwood, shall be at least 5 cm in diameter.

Do handrails need returns?

Handrail extensions must return to a wall, itself or the walking surface. Note: While it is a common practice to leave a gap between a wall return and the wall, some inspectors have rejected this as they consider it a return toward the wall and not a return to the wall.

What is the OSHA standard for handrails?

Handrails are not less than 30 inches (76 cm) and not more than 38 inches (97 cm), as measured from the leading edge of the stair tread to the top surface of the handrail (see Figure D-12 of this section).

What is code for stair railing height?

Handrails are required to protect the open sides of stairs where the height of the top of the stairs is 600 mm (24â€) high or higher. These railings must measure at least 900 mm (36â€) above the stair tread's outer edge to ensure safe, easy use of the railing.

What is the maximum distance between newel posts?

Therefore, if you have a sixteen-foot balcony, you will need three newel posts, one at the beginning, one in the middle, and one at the end. But if the balcony is eighteen feet, then it would require four newel posts as the distance between each post would be greater than eight feet if only three newel posts were used.