Building code enforcement personnel take stairway.
Exterior door steps code.
Doors shall be maintained self closing or shall be automatic closing by actuation of a smoke detector as provided for in section 4306 b.
Any of you that have tried to open your door with a bag of groceries and have had to back down a step or two to get the door open can.
Step down on the interior and up to two steps down to the landing on the exterior regardless of which way the door swings it can only swing over one step.
They may be block poured concrete wall or post footings.
Minimum 36 inch clear width for stairway.
Maximum 4 1 2 inch handrail projection into stairway width on either side.
This allowance provides some design flexibility.
For all non egress exterior doors the 2003 code update allows a 7 3 4 in.
The maximum transmitted temperature end point shall not exceed 450 degrees f above ambient at the end of 30 minutes of the fire exposure specified in u b c.
Doors other than the required egress door shall be provided with landings or floors not more than 7 3 4 inches 196 mm below the top of the threshold.
So this basically sums up the basic code requirements for residential stairs and their dimensions.
A door is permitted to open at the top step of an interior flight of stairs provided the door does not swing over the top step.
Screen doors and storm doors are permitted to swing over stairs or landings.
Summary of code requirements for residential stairs.
Exterior or outdoor stair railing guardrail landing tread and step specifications codes construction requirements for safe outdoor steps stairs railings newel posts outdoor stair railing safety hazards photos of defects.
A top landing is not required where a stairway of not more than two risers is located on the exterior side of the door provided that the door does not swing over the stairway.
Defects in masonry steps and landings outdoors sketches of exterior stair design requirements questions answers about exterior stair code specifications.
Therefore let us recap on the residential stair code requirements.
This chapter provides guidelines on door height and width based on the function of the structure.
For example by allowing two steps up to a total of 15 1 2 in.
Footings must be at least 42 inches in depth.
Exterior doors as provided for in section 1003 5 exception 1 and section 1020 2 which are not on an accessible route.
While the finer details will ultimately be influenced by your local government s building regulations the international building code the international residential code and the standards set by the americans with disabilities act of 1990 maintain that exterior stairs that are a required point of egress in other words stairs that must be crossed on your way in and out of the building.
Also the landing of the steps must be at least 36 inches from where it abuts lies adjacent to the house out to the first step.
