Deck with no railing

[BreJune]

Does VA have a height requirement for a deck with no railing? The subject has a deck with no safety rail, as it goes out over the sloping yard the highest point is 2.6 feet. I'm not finding anything specific in the Handbook, just that the property has to meet safety requirements. My opinion is if someone were to fall off the deck they could be injured.

 

[glenn walker]

You can call anything that you consider is a Health and Safety Issue. The question is has or will anyone get hurt ? Personally
I kinda doubt it but it's your call not a handbooks. Kid's are flexable if there are Senior's they fall all the time so i would consider who is going to live there or maybe a new buyer may put their own up or tear it down.

 

[sputnam]

Does VA have a height requirement for a deck with no railing? The subject has a deck with no safety rail, as it goes out over the sloping yard the highest point is 2.6 feet. I'm not finding anything specific in the Handbook, just that the property has to meet safety requirements. My opinion is if someone were to fall off the deck they could be injured.

Dunno about VA specifically.. the usual height that requires railings is 3'. I'm sure that the building code about that varies from place to place.

 

[Zoe]

Our local code is like 32 inches I think. I would have to check that. I have had to call our local code before because if it breaks local code, then you have to label it an MPR.

You can label it an MPR for VA or conventional or FHA. I don't know if you have any code. We have some places in Tennessee that have no building code.

 

[Zoe]

This may help you:

https://www.FEMA.gov/sites/default/...role-state-local-building-codes-standards.pdf

 

[Zoe]

My rich brother in law had a like a 25-30 foot drop off his screened in deck on lake house. He had another friend visit and we had just had conversation about no railing. His rich friend said we don't have any building code now. He got a rail up within like 2 weeks. LOL

 

[Tom D]

Typically, it's always a height issue. On the ground deck, no issue. Absolutely a requirement with FHA. Do you want grandma backing up and going off the deck. No matter how low, she breaks something. Handrail length is also a local code.

 

[Jerry Bone Jr]

Does VA have a height requirement for a deck with no railing?

No

 

[Tom D]

Thy cannot have specifics, only general requirements, since local codes can change over time. FHA & VA & conv take decades to change even the simple.

 

[Zoe]

No

They do if it breaks local code. OTOH VA and FHA and Conventional trust their appraiser to make health and safety issues a required repair.