What’s the Deal with Stairs?

One of the biggest areas that modern home inspectors are trained on are stairs. Home inspectors are not code inspectors, and yet when it comes to stairs we are taught a lot of code. What’s the deal? And why do home inspectors think everything needs a handrail?

More than 1 million people visit the ER every year due to stair-related injuries. Most common of these are children and elderly, but able bodied people of all ages injure themselves at stairs too(1).

That figure of 1,000,000+ people only constitutes those that went to the ER. I don’t have numbers for it, but no doubt there are tens of thousands more who never went to the ER for their injuries.

Stairs themselves are inherently dangerous. They are vertical transitions between floors that can be 10-15 feet or more apart. All it takes is one misstep or slip to cause serious injuries.

Modern standards are actually quite rigorous when it comes to stairways. A lot of people tend to mock codes, but codes are reactive measures based on years of hard data behind them. In other words, codes are guidelines made after a lot of people have gotten hurt and died, and are intended to develop a realistic method to prevent and reduce further injuries.

Codes should not be cast aside as worthless, especially when it comes to things like stairs and walkways. There is rarely a time in new construction where modern codes would cause difficulties with stairs, although older homes are sometimes impossible to bring up to modern standards given the limited geography to work with.

So what are the standards that modern staircases are built to?

The state of West Virginia currently follows the 2015 IRC building code for residential properties. Funnily enough, one of the areas they exempt relates to stairs, which I’ll get to below.

First off, there are not many differences between indoor and outdoor stairs, walled in stairs vs open, etc. Stairs are stairs. Apart from weather exposure, exterior stairs are nearly identical with interior.

Stair Width, Length, and Height

• Stairs must be 36” wide as measured from above the handrail and below the headroom height. The headroom height at ALL areas of the stairway must be 6’8”. As a 6’6.5” tall inspector, if I can walk comfortably without hitting my head, it usually means the stairs are good.

• Below the handrail the rules are different. If there is one handrail the stairway must at least 31.5” wide, and if there are two handrails it must be at least 27” wide.

• The maximum height between floors or landings is 12’3”. This creates areas of rest and sure-footing.

Treads and Risers

Treads are the horizontal members that are walked on, risers are the vertical clearances between treads.

The 2015 IRC calls for treads to be 10” minimum with nosing overhang (or 11” without), and risers to be a maximum of 7 and 3/4” tall. There is no minimum height here but other codes give 4” as their minimum and I follow that. Anything less than 4” is a trip hazard—not a step.

However the state of West Virginia applied an exemption here when adopting it at the state level (2). Please note local jurisdictions having authority may not carry this amendment.

• West Virginia’s exemption allows stair treads to be 9” minimum and risers a maximum of 8 1/4” tall.

• Open risers are permitted but they must not allow the passage of a 4 inch sphere.

• Similarly, the spacing between the tread and baluster is maximum 6“.

Handrails

• All stairways with four or more risers (vertical step ups) require at least 1 handrail. It does not matter if they are walled in, interior or exterior.

• Any staircase that is four or more feet wide requires two handrails.

• Handrails must be 34-38” high, as measured from the edge of the tread to the top of the rail.

• Handrails must be continuous from the bottom riser to top riser between each landing or floor.

• Handrails next to walls require 1 1/2'“ clearance to wall to allow graspability. Max is 4 1/2”.

• Handrails must be graspable. 2x4s and other rectangular members are not acceptable.

• Balusters are required if the area is open. These should not allow the passage of a 4 3/8” sphere.

Lighting

• All stairways are required to have lighting that provides proper illumination. This can be manual or automatic.

• Stairways with 6 or more risers require a light switch (or automatic lighting functionality) at both the bottom and top landings.

• Landings with an exterior door require a light swtich or automatic lighting.

• All exterior stairs should have lighting.

Landings

• Stairs must have landings at each exterior door. Width must match the door size, and the landing or floor must be 36” in the direction of travel.

• The landing at the required egress door can’t be more than 1 1/2” below the threshold.

  • Exception: the distance can be 7 3/4'“ so long as the door does not swing over the landing. Screen doors are allowed to swing over.

• Other exterior doors can be 7 3/4” below the threshold.

  • Exception: No landing is required at these doors if there are two or less risers on the exterior side, so long as the door does not swing over the stairs. Screen doors are allowed to swing over.

  Summary
  

  Home inspectors are not code inspectors, and are not required to inspect for code compliance. I don’t measure every single facet of stairs when I inspect a home. Instead I’m looking at the most basic and essential components. If they feel uneven, unsafe, or like they lack something, I might measure it, but in general, handrails are the main area I measure, and I leave the rest to feel. It’s pretty easy to feel when stairs are too short, not wide enough, etc., without getting obsessive about it. My job is to educate you on the home, not penalize it over small details.

  Citations:

  1: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28947224/

  2: https://firemarshal.wv.gov/about/Laws/Documents/87CSR4.pdf pages 3 and 4