Electrical & Electric

Building Deck Railing

Deck Railing Requirements

Before building deck railing check with your local building code officer to determine what the local deck railing requirements are in your area. Don’t assume that you may know them or take advice from a friend or neighbor unless you are certain that the information is correct.

In most cases if the deck platform is more that 12 inches off the ground, deck rails are required and must be at least 36 inches high above the deck platform. This prevents accidents and injuries from falling off the deck. The vertical post between the bottom and top rails must not have any openings large enough to pass a 4 inch diameter ball through. This prevents small children from getting their heads between the rail posts. There is an exception for the stair rails where a 6 inch diameter space is permitted. All guardrails must be strong enough to withstand a concentrated 200 pound force anywhere along the top of the rail.

If stairs are more than two steps from the base to the deck platform, hand rails are required. All stairs must have hand rails. The top of the handrail must be placed between 34 – 36 inches above the nosing of the stair treads.  All handrail ends must be constructed so they return and terminate at rail posts.  The hand rail handgrip must allow a minimum of a 1-1/2 inch space between the handrail and the wall.  Usually flat 2x4 or 2x6 stock material is not acceptable for handrails.  A good hand rail should have a circular cross section between 1-1/4 and 2 inches in diameter. 

The deck railing support post must be strong enough to withstand a 200 pound stress load. The deck rail post is installed flush to the inside or outside of the deck frame. Most builders use through bolts to attach 4x4 wood posts to the deck rim. Structural screws can be used in the place of bolts to attach the rail post.  

Lateral bracing brackets are also available to attach the rail post to the inside of the deck frame. The bracket transfers the perpendicular loads into parallel shear loads and work particularly well with bolts and can increase the load capacity up to 1,500 percent over a regular notched rail post installation.   

When building deck railings it is imperative that they be constructed in such a way to insure the safety of any users. National building code requirement standards are set to insure maximum safety. If followed, you will have a safe and professional looking deck.

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