Would this meet code for deck railing?

[Cooler]

If I am not mistaken 42'' is the height of a railing, so 42 plus 16 = 58 which in my opinion on would look weird. Now I have a question for the gentleman that handrails have to have a return.  Are you saying that it should be returned to the wall or do you mean the end should be the same as the top part of the rail?

I did not know about the returns either. I  looked it up and this illustrates it pretty well.

Or look here: https://www.google.com/search?q=handrail...S0kCl-0_DM

[Snipe Hunter]

Sorry, been traveling. The illustration above is correct. Must return to the wall or to the stair rail. Only necessary on one side unless the stair treads are wider than 4ft (iirc).

For deck railing, the height is above the edge of the deck surface, not above the seat surface. the 4" Ball is wording from the code book. A child's head is usually bigger than 4" dia.

[rwe2156]

The question was whether a child could climb over and fall off the railing.  The answer is yes.  

I think if you check with an inspector, they would tell you its a not kosher.

[Roly]

The question was whether a child could climb over and fall off the railing.  The answer is yes.  

I think if you check with an inspector, they would tell you its a not kosher.

So would any railing with climbable horizontal pieces fail such as the modern cable rails or decorative wrought iron rails or slats of wood fail ? 
The Ladder Effect

The published 2000 IRC stated that guardrails shall not be constructed with horizontal members or other ornamental patterns that result in a ladder effect. The ladder effect has never been a part of the IBC. The ladder effect was removed from the IRC during the 2001 code cycle. The change was noted in the 2001 IRC supplement and the current 2003 IRC contains no reference to the ladder effect.

However, some local code authorities are using older codes based on BOCA – the creator of the ladder effect wording – and the 2000 IRC. Many local code inspectors are not aware of the 2001 change and may reject guardrails with infills they interpret as creating a ladder effect. It is taking time for the 2001 IRC supplement and the new 2006 model codes to trickle down to the local levels. In the meantime, be prepared to address this issue should it come up in your area.

The following information is based on Code Restrictions from IRC, IBC, ANSI, and ADAAG


Roly

[Cooler]

So would any railing with climbable horizontal pieces fail such as the modern cable rails or decorative wrought iron rails or slats of wood fail ? 
The Ladder Effect

The published 2000 IRC stated that guardrails shall not be constructed with horizontal members or other ornamental patterns that result in a ladder effect. The ladder effect has never been a part of the IBC. The ladder effect was removed from the IRC during the 2001 code cycle. The change was noted in the 2001 IRC supplement and the current 2003 IRC contains no reference to the ladder effect.

However, some local code authorities are using older codes based on BOCA – the creator of the ladder effect wording – and the 2000 IRC. Many local code inspectors are not aware of the 2001 change and may reject guardrails with infills they interpret as creating a ladder effect. It is taking time for the 2001 IRC supplement and the new 2006 model codes to trickle down to the local levels. In the meantime, be prepared to address this issue should it come up in your area.

The following information is based on Code Restrictions from IRC, IBC, ANSI, and  ADAAG


Roly

When I checked 22 years ago in my area horizontal slats were not permitted as they are "climbable".  I would think that would include cable railing.  And that was 22 years ago, so things may have changed.

[Snipe Hunter]

Municipalities usually have their deck and shed codes online for homeowners.


I inspect in about 4 counties, each of them has their own adaption of building/electric (etc) codes.

[Turner52]

The ladder affect is very true. A 4 year old can climb a chain link fence like a little monkey. Those little tennis shoes fit in the holes very good. Most people don't think about that, but I hsve seen my graandson do it. I must admit I was shocked the first time I saw it. But then he is a handful. Tell my son it is pay back for what he did when young I They found him on the garage roof one time. He had climbed up the firewood pile that was piled up to the eaves. The pile is now kept much lower I had assumed a fence would keep them in. The dismount to the other side did not go so well though.