Guide to Stair Headroom Clearances for Stair Construction & Inspection

Stair headroom or overhead clearance specifications & codes
- Stairway Height, Width, Headroom Requirements
- Sketches of stair headroom clearance design requirements
Stair dimensions: width height &c - separate article
STAIR HEADROOM
STAIR RISER SPECIFICATIONS - separate article
STAIR TREAD DIMENSIONS - separate article
Questions & Answers about stair codes & requirements for stair or step minimum width & headroom
References

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Stairway headroom & width codes & requirements: this document provides building code specifications, sketches, photographs, and examples of the stair passage width & stair overhead clearance or head room needed for indoor or outdoor stairs. How much space is needed over steps or stairs, and exactly where should those measurements be taken?

Stairway Height, Width, Headroom Requirements

Stairway Lighting requirements (C) Carson Dunlop

Stairway overall height, width, and headroom requirements & codes are detailed here. For a complete list of articles on stairs, railings, and ramps, their inspection, trip hazards, and good design, see STAIRS, RAILINGS, LANDINGS, RAMPS - INSPECTIONS, CODES. Or see these detailed articles on specifications for proper dimensions for stairs, railings, platforms

Stair dimensions: width height &c
  STAIR HEADROOM
  Stairway landings
  Stair Rise & Run Calculations
  Stair stringer defects
  Step riser dimensions
  STAIR TREAD DIMENSIONS
  Stair tread nose dimensions
HANDRAILS & HANDRAILINGS

Our page top photo, courtesy Galow Homes and Eric Galow, shows where headroom clearance should be measured at a stairwell: stair overhead clearance is the vertical distance measured between the outer edge of the stair tread surface (close to the stair tread rounded nosing), and the under-side of the ceiling above.

Specifications for Stairway Overhead Clearance: Headroom

Stairway headroom should be greater than or equal to six feet eight inches between the stair tread upper surface measured at the tread outer edge, and the ceiling above.

Stairway headroom should be => 6'8" over tread or landing
Stairway maximum height (the total rise of the stairway from level floor to level floor) should be limited to twelve feet between floors if no landings are included.

Re-stating this for clarity:

Stair way headroom should be 12' or less between floors - or restated, the total rise for a set of steps between floors should be less than or equal to twelve feet.

This means landings could be required if the total rise height of a stairway is more than 12 ft.

Sketch at left provided courtesy Carson Dunlop Associates.

Model & Example California Building Code Specifications for Stairway Headroom Requirements

Every stairway must have a headroom clearance of not less than 6'8" measured vertically from the plane of the tread nosing to the soffit above at all points. [37]

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Technical Reviewers & References

Related Topics, found near the top of this page suggest articles closely related to this one.

Carson, Dunlop & Associates Ltd., 120 Carlton Street Suite 407, Toronto ON M5A 4K2. (416) 964-9415 1-800-268-7070 info@carsondunlop.com. The firm provides professional home inspection services & home inspection education & publications. Alan Carson is a past president of ASHI, the American Society of Home Inspectors. Thanks to Alan Carson and Bob Dunlop, for permission for InspectAPedia to use text excerpts from The Home Reference Book & illustrations from The Illustrated Home. Carson Dunlop Associates' provides:
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Eric Galow, Galow Homes, Lagrangeville, NY. Mr. Galow can be reached by email: ericgalow@gmail.com or by telephone: 914-474-6613. Mr. Galow specializes in residential construction including both new homes and repairs, renovations, and additions.
[1] Yale University Guidelines for Undergraduate Theatrical Productions and Special Events, Yale University’s Office of Undergraduate Productions, Office of the Fire Marshal, and Office of Environmental Health & Safety April 2005, web search 8/9/11, original source: http://www.yale.edu/oup/forms/pdf/guidelines.pdf
[2] CUE40303 Certificate IV in Live Production, Theatre and Events (Technical Operations), Australian Government, Department of Education, Employment, and Workplace Relations, web search 8/9/11, original source: https://www.training.nsw.gov.au/cib_vto/cibs/documents/cue40303.pdf
[3] Electrical Safety in the Theatre, Broadway Press, web search 8/9/11, original source: http://www.broadwaypress.com/PDFs/LTSpdfs/LTSchpt13.pdf - quoting:
Referring to the NEC will provide the technician with details specifically related to the theatre and moreover, these regulations will
be better suited to the needs of the theatre.
[4] Illustrated theatre production guide, John Holloway, Focal Press, 2002, ISBN 0240804937, 9780240804934
[5] How to Build Theater Stairs, an Illustrated Guide, Ben Teague, www.benteague.com, Amateur Theatre Division, December 2004, web search 8/9/11, original source: http://www.benteague.com/features/Stairs.pdf
Note that Mr. Teague warns that his designs and advice do not comply with building codes.
[6] OSHA Publication 3124 - Stairways and Ladder, web search 12/21/11, OSHA Publications Office U.S. Department of Labor 200 Constitution Avenue, NW, N-3101 Washington, DC 20210 Telephone (202) 693-1888 or fax to (202) 693-2498. Original source: osha.gov/Publications/ladders/osha3124.html
[7] "The Elimination of Unsafe Guardrails, a Progress Report," Elliott O. Stephenson, Building Standards, March-April 1993
[8] "Are Functional Handrails Within Our Grasp" Jake Pauls, Building Standards, January-February 1991
[9] "The Elimination of Unsafe Guardrails, a Progress Report," Elliott O. Stephenson, Building Standards, March-April 1993
[10] Lighting, proper use of: proper aiming of a good flashlight can disclose hard to see but toxic light or white mold colonies on walls.
[11] The Stairway Manufacturers' Association, (877) 500-5759, provides a pictorial guide to the stair and railing portion of the International Residential Code. [copy on file as http://www.stairways.org/pdf/2006%20Stair%20IRC%20SCREEN.pdf ] -
[12] A HREF="http://astore.amazon.com/inspectapedia-20?node=14&page=2">Slips, Trips, Missteps and Their Consequences, Gary M. Bakken, H. Harvey Cohen, Jon R. Abele, Alvin S. Hyde, Cindy A. LaRue, Lawyers and Judges Publishing; ISBN-10: 1933264012 ISBN-13: 978-1933264011
[13] Steps and Stairways, Cleo Baldon & Ib Melchior, Rizzoli, 1989.
[14] The Staircase, Ann Rinaldi
[15] Common Sense Stairbuilding and Handrailing, Fred T. Hodgson
[16] Falls and Related Injuries: Slips, Trips, Missteps, and Their Consequences, Lawyers & Judges Publishing, (June 2002), ISBN-10: 0913875430 ISBN-13: 978-0913875438
"Falls in the home and public places are the second leading cause of unintentional injury deaths in the United States, but are overlooked in most literature. This book is unique in that it is entirely devoted to falls. Of use to primary care physicians, nurses, insurance adjusters, architects, writers of building codes, attorneys, or anyone who cares for the elderly, this book will tell you how, why, and when people will likely fall, what most likely will be injured, and how such injuries come about. "
[17] Slips, Trips, Missteps and Their Consequences, Gary M. Bakken, H. Harvey Cohen, Jon R. Abele, Alvin S. Hyde, Cindy A. LaRue, Lawyers and Judges Publishing; ISBN-10: 1933264012 ISBN-13: 978-1933264011
[18] Slips, Trips, Missteps and Their Consequences, Second Edition, Gary M. Bakken, H. Harvey Cohen,A. S. Hyde, Jon R. Abele, ISBN-13: 978-1-933264-01-1 or ISBN 10: 1-933264-01-2, available from the publisher, Lawyers ^ Judges Publishing Company,Inc., www.lawyersandjudges.com sales@lawyersandjudges.com and also from the InspectAPedia Bookstore (Amazon.com)
[19] Arts, Crafts, & Theater Safety (ACTS), 181 Thompson Street, #23 New York, NY 10012-2586 Telephone: (212) 777-0062 E-Mail: ACTSNYC@cs.com, web search 5/9/12, website: http://www.artscraftstheatersafety.org/ - Quoting:
ACTS is a not-for-profit corporation that provides health, safety, industrial hygiene, technical services, and safety publications to the arts, crafts, museums, and theater communities. A part of the fees from our consulting services goes to support our free and low-cost services for artists. We gratefully accept donations, but do not solicit them from the artists who call here for help and advice. We recognize that artists and performers are among the least affluent groups in society.
ACTS also will not accept money or take advertising in our publications from manufacturers of artists materials or businesses whose interests could conflict with ours. We want artists to know that we have no financial incentive to make our product and safety recommendations.
[20] Access Ramp building codes:
- UBC 1003.3.4.3
- BOCA 1016.3
- ADA 4.8.2
- IBC 1010.2
[21] Access Ramp Standards:
- ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act), Public Law 101-336. 7/26/90 is very often cited by other sources for good design of stairs and ramps etc. even where disabled individuals are not the design target.
- ANSI A117.4 Accessible and Usable buildings and Facilities (earlier version was incorporated into the ADA)
- ASTM F 1637, Standard Practice for Safe Walking Surfaces, (Similar to the above standard
[22] The Circular Staircase, Mary Roberts Rinehart
[23] Construction Drawings and Details, Rosemary Kilmer
[24]"The Dimensions of Stairs", J. M. Fitch et al., Scientific American, October 1974.
[25] Mobile Home Inspections common defects unique to factory built housing, inspection methods, The National Institute of Standards and Technology, NIST (nee National Bureau of Standards NBS) is a US government agency - see www.nist.gov
[26] The Art of Staircases, Pilar Chueca
[27 Building Stairs, by pros for pros, Andy Engel
[28] A Simplified Guide to Custom Stairbuilding, George R. Christina
[29] Basic Stairbuilding, Scott Schuttner
[30] The Staircase (two volumes), John Templar, Cambridge: the MIT Press, 1992
[31] The Staircase: History and Theories, John Templar, MIT Press 1995
[32] Steps and Stairways, Cleo Baldon & Ib Melchior, Rizzoli, 1989.
[33] BUILDING, FIRE, RESIDENTIAL CODES - The 2007 & 2010 California Building Code (Part 2), California Residential Code (Part 2.5) and the California Fire Code (Part 9) of Title 24 are available for viewing online via the following International Code Council web site link: California Codes, Title 24, Part 1, 6, 8, 10, 11 & 12 are also available for viewing and download in PDF form on the California website: 2007 Edition of the California Building Codes or see2010 Edition (Effective Jan. 1, 2011) of the California building codes. For a summary page accessing all of the California building codes see http://www.bsc.ca.gov/pubs/codeson.aspx
[34] "Guard Rail Height", CREIA, California Real Estate Inspection Association, Website: http://ask.creia.org, web search 8/1/12 original source: http://ask.creia.org/index.php?topic=424.0, December 2009
[35] California Department of Industrial Relations - CA/OSHA: California Stair & Railing Code details: Subchapter 7. General Industry Safety Orders, Group 1. General Physical Conditions and Structures Orders, Article 2. Standard Specifications, Section 3214. Stair Rails and Handrails, web search 8/1/12, original source: http://www.dir.ca.gov/title8/3214.html
[36] California Department of Industrial Relations - CA/OSHA: California Stair & Railing Code details: Subchapter 4. General Industry Safety Orders, Article 17. Ramps, Runways, Stairwells, and Stairs, Section 1626. Stairwells and Stairs., web search 8/1/12, original source: http://www.dir.ca.gov/title8/1626.html
[37] California Building Code, Nonstructural Design Requirements, web search 08/01/12 original source: http://sanbruno.ca.gov/comdev_images/California_Building_Code.pdf
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