Tag: building code

Wagner experts address common code compliance questions When it comes to life safety, there are no shortcuts. The following Q & A advice comes from Wagner’s team of building code experts for architectural railing projects. Question:  What are the 2018 building code trends?  Answer:  The codes are updated on a three-year cycle based upon a review […]

Determining the most reasonable code to go by for virtually any given glass railing project requires bearing in mind maximum safety, liability, expenses and a variety of additional factors. Contributing to the problem are the latest changes to the International Building Code, which altered certain specifications for glass railings and influenced local code modifications. Codes […]

The 2000 International Residential Code (IRC) states that guardrails . . . shall not be constructed with horizontal members or other ornamental pattern that results in a ladder effect. It has never been in the International Building Code (IBC). This was removed in the 2001 code cycle and was published in the 2001 IRC supplement. […]

The required clearance between a handrail and other building elements continues to confound and confuse. Here’s a quick review of where present codes now stand. The 1992 Americans With Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG) stated that there was to be an absolute dimension of 1-1/2″ between a handrail and a wall. This was actually a […]

Guard Location Requirements IRC 30″ above floor or grade below on open-sided walking surfaces. On open sides of stairs with a total riser of more than 30″ above the floor or grade below. IBC 30″ above floor or grade below on open-sided walking surfaces, mezzanines, industrial equipment platforms, stairways, ramps and landings. 30″ above floor […]

The residential and commercial building codes (IRC and IBC, respectively) have specific definitions and requirements for guards (guardrails). Interesting point of trivia: the I-codes (IBC and IRC) do not refer to guard railing as that term is commonly used for the railings you find on the side of a highway. Guard is what they define since a […]

Q: With complexities and variance in code adaption that effect glass and glass railing systems state-to-state and locally, how can installers more easily determine what code standards to work to when installing glass railing systems? As railing systems are often installed at project-end, time is rarely on the side of the glaziers or fabricators doing […]

Update: A new ICC A117.1 was published soon after this blog post. From our understanding, there were no significant changes made in this document relating to handrails and railings. The original plan was that a new version of A117.1 would be published every five years. The next one will be scheduled for 2022. While this […]

Is a top railing required for glass railing? If it is monolithic tempered glass, the simple answer is “yes,” according to the International Code Council. (The 2015 International Building Code has added an exception that permits the elimination of a top rail if laminated, tempered glass is used and it is approved by the local […]

It’s Pi Day! You may ask, “What does that have to do with railing?” The number π is a mathematical constant, the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter, commonly approximated as 3.14159. It has been represented by the Greek letter “π” since the mid-18th century, though it is also sometimes spelled out as […]