Will somebody please enlighten me. I know that I’ve seen somewhere recently that a railing is required if a retaining wall is a certain height. Am I crazy or what? I believe it is fairly recent. Thanks
Charlie
Charles the same rules apply to decks if they are more than 24 inches high, a fall of at least that requires a guard rail according to here.
Same as deck/porch landing, 30".
*
If a retaining wall has a drop-off height greater than 30-inches, *
a handrail detail shall be included in the plans and shall comply with Building Inspection requirements (typically vertical pickets at 4-inch spacing) (International Building Code 1003.2.11.1 and International Residential Code).
Where do you get the 24" rule from?
Charles this reminds me of a movie called CLIFFORD with the actor Martin Short. In it the Architect wanted to purchase a house on a cliff and the lady wanted to have Children a very funny movie for the whole family.
National building code 2005 and the new 2009 Deck building code guidelines.
I will also mention that some have it set at 30" and this is what is in the “How to perform Deck Inspections” for InterNachi.
2006 Deck Building Guide: Based on the 2006 International Residential Code:
GUARD REQUIREMENTS:
All decks greater than 30" above grade are required to have a guard [R312.1]
2009 Deck Building Guide; Based on the 2009 International Residential Code:
GUARD REQUIREMENTS:
All decks greater than 30" above grade are required to have a guard [R312.1]
Slightly different than the National Building Code in Canada unless of course the guide is wrong.
Charles
IRC code does not address guardrails for retaining walls. I would recommend guardrail if there was a sidewalk next to the retaining wall or a reasonable expectation that people will be walking next to the retaining wall with a height greater than 30 inches. In all other cases if there was a significant drop off I would mention the safety issue to my my client if they has kids.
The new OBC does Randy. I only recommend 24 inches if the fall is onto cement or paved surface. Grass is OK still to apply the 30". Interesting though it does not require a minimal height so I am using the deck as am example only.