Do ground level stairs need railing?

Question

Hello, I just recently acquired my first rental property in Pennsylvania and a friend told me I'm probably going to need to install railing. My first question is do I actually need to install railing on some of or all of these stair cases? If I do need railings installed would it be wiser to get a contractor to install them so they meet code or would someone with very little experience be able to do it?

Front stairs; these look ground level and I heard ground level stairs don't need railings is that true?

Back stairs; these look ground level as well

Front door stairs are not ground level but I don't know if there are enough stairs to require a railing

Any help is appreciated! Thank you!

Patrick Liska · Answer

Yes, Yes, and Maybe, but i would. any staircase 30" or more high needs a handrail at least on one side. and my answers were based on the order of your pictures. I would put them on all of them, especially if its a rental. you do not put one there and come winter with some ice on the steps, Lawyer sees that, they will have a field day.

Josue Vargas · Answer

Be aware of FHA and HUD stipulations and requirements.

Johann Jells · Answer

YMMV. In NJ a 3 or more unit building is inspected by the state, and they will impose new code on you for things like this. Just this year I had to put a rail in a hatch and a backyard light on a 100 year old building I've owned since 2004. Things like number of outlets in a room and railroad apartments are grandfathered. For now...

Andrew Johnson · Answer

@Will Fahmy It really depends on the municipality.  I know the old rule of thumb in most markets was "3 stairs require a railing" but that was 16 years ago.  And I don't know if I ever looked at properties in Pennsylvania.

Johann Jells · Answer

In NJ it's more than 2 steps.  They've made me put rails on basement hatches!

Steve Babiak · Answer

There is an assumption in that snippet that does not necessarily hold - that a contractor will meet code. That would require two things: first, contractor is aware of / knows the code requirements; second, that the contractor won't cut corners ... ;)

Mike Reynolds · Answer

i agree with Patrick. In Texas probably not. Up there yes for sure.

Andrew B. · Answer

This is a local code issue. You can typically look up codes online or get them from your local building dept.

From my limited experience, whether or not you need a railing will depend on length of steps and how many there are.

Vinod Dasani · Answer

Every city and county have different regulations so you may want to check locally.  If you got an inspection done prior to purchasing and it wasnt pointed out by the inspector then its probably not needed.  Additionally, the insurance company usually sends out an inspector (in Texas) who will point out things like this if they feel it is necessary.

Do ground level stairs need railing?

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