Handrail & Guardrail Inspections

Handrails and guardrails are sturdy handholds and barriers that follow the outside, and sometimes inside, perimeter of the stairs and landings. The rails are designed to prevent falls and to provide a handhold, especially when walking up or down the stairs.

For safety reasons, handrails are required on all stairs with a total riser height greater than 24 inches (2 or 3 steps) and guardrails are required on open stoops and landings that are more than 24 inches above the floor or grade.  (Handrails on an open stairwell also act as guardrails.)  To function as an adequate barrier to prevent falls, stairs are required to have a minimum height of 34 inches, and guardrails on all porches, balconies, or raised floor surfaces are required to have a minimum height of 36 inches .

In addition, to prevent injury to children, balusters or spindles should:

• be vertical so as not to create a climbing grid, and
• have a space or gap no greater than 4 inches to prevent children from squeezing through or getting stuck in the opening.