Deck railing height with built-in benches

code-compliancedeck

If a deck (more than 30" off the ground) has a row of benches built-in to the perimeter, do the guard rails need to be measured from the height of the bench? I've been reading building codes they all talk about measuring from the floor of the deck.

To clarify: The deck (and the benches, and the house) was built 20+ years ago. I understand that it could be safer, but is that a recommendation or a legal requirement? Is it up to code now, and if not, have the standards have changed recently, or was the original builder in violation?

Best Answer

Holy cow I just went through this last summer with a house I bought...

Specifically, 2009 IRC section R312.2 states: Required guards at open-sided walking surfaces, including stairs, porches, balconies or landings, shall be not less than 36 inches high measured vertically above the adjacent walking surface, adjacent fixed seating or the line connecting the leading edges of the treads.

So yes most/all municipalities that are using 2009 IRC and above would require that you have your rail height 36" higher than the seat. Let me tell you that this is almost impossible to do without a ton of work (and having it functional and looking good). Most people don't want railings at 46-50" since it encloses the deck and is reaching the height of shorter women.

What did we do? We simply detached the bench part and made sure it fit snugly into the deck. Since it is not a "fixed" part of the deck it passed inspection. We were not concerned about small children because it was already 26" over the seat and had vertical backs set at 120 degrees.

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