How would you have a railing for three risers without a handrail which is not required for three or fewer steps/treads?
How or why? Many guards do not have handrails. Many handrails do not have guards.
Guard with no handrail
Guard with handrail
Handrail with no guard
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@bcawhern1 So are you saying that this picture does not have a handrail even though it clearly has four or more steps? If you don’t call that a handrail then you would identify it as a material defect?
Actually, the above image shows how I build all my handrails on decks for all my houses and I’ve never been flagged yet. I think this image demonstrates a handrail attached to the top of the railing.
I get the impression that you do not think the two questions are in conflict and your answer to my question is that three risers does require a railing but not a handrail while more than 3 steps requires both a railing and a handrail.
A 2x4 handrail is not graspable, so it doesn’t actually qualify for a handrail. I call them out all of the time
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You haven’t had a good home inspector inspect your home yet 
This is a perfect example of a non-graspable handrail.
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Number of risers is not the only defining situation where a guard may be needed.
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And then there is continuity:
I could go on with more for spacing, landings etc.
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The phrase that is being overlooked here (or misused) is, “…or provide equivalent graspability.” R311,7,8,5
A 2x6 on edge can meet the criteria and still make a lousy handrail. Up until a few years ago many jurisdictions accepted just that on decks and stairs. More recently stricter guidelines have been adopted for local decks, Conversely I’m sure some areas are just fine with 2x6 handrails. Code turns out to be whatever the local AHJ allows.
Maximum safety is the thing the Home Inspector must ascribe to in providing a quality report.
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Wouldn’t it qualify if the fingers can grasp it on both sides? I think the inspector on my houses approves my handrails because it’s acceptable in the northern communities where I build.
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So this is why we are not code inspectors. But, there is a clear definition of a graspable handrail in the IRC, as I provided.
There is code, then there is enforcement. Another reason we do not inspect to code because some local jurisdictions do not enforce it.
So, code becomes a “marker” for standard building practices. Safety being paramount.
Regardless of what the local jurisdiction accepts, I will always call out a handrail that is not graspable per IRC requirement purely for safety reasons. And, I have a tiny 81 year old mother who cannot grasp a 2x4 safely. Therefore my experience and opinion matters. And, I can back it up if needed.
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I will try to add more graspable handrails from now on.
I don’t know how to tell everyone how much I massively appreciate all your input so here’s my attempt: Thank you @bcawhern1, @labstein, @ccurrins, @rkenney, @dandersen, @kray2, @mwilles and @tnicholson3. This dialog has helped me learn and I hope it’s as helpful to all new inspectors to come. Thank you again.
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Best of luck to you David.
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I do appreciate the note, but all I did was mention the difference between handrail/guardrail/railing. That one small thing seems to have sparked a great discussion, but it was started by you, and others contributed a lot more. Your thirst for knowledge is great, keep going!
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