[TheForge] Railing Question.

[RIES NIEMI]

on 7/15/03 6:18 AM, GHS at ghs@execpc.com wrote:

> I am looking at a set of plans that call for railings with horizontal bars.
> I am not bidding this part of the job, but it caught my eye.
> I seem to remember a discussion about standards that involved the ability of
> someone to climb a rail, and that grapevines etc were now a non compliant
> detail.
> What about these ladder like climbers?
> 
> I am keeping my mouth shut with the general contractor until I have some good
> information.
> 
> Mike Graf
> 
Horizontal Rails are still legal. Railing spacing varies from place to
place, but you are always safe with the 4" sphere rule. That is, a 4" sphere
cannot pass thru anywhere on the railing. I understand there are still some
places where it is 6" sphere. The best thing to do is always ask the
inspector or building dept first, before you make something they wont pass.
There are different rules for railings in different situations, handicap
height rules, and different rules for fences.
And there are lots of cases where people will put up a cheap, legal rail and
then after the project is signed off, go back and install what they really
want. Thats how come you always see clearly illegal railings in architecture
and design mags.