Deck Stair Railings in Nashville, TN

The Stair Is Where Deck Railings Fall Short

Most deck railings are built as guards: a 2x4 top and bottom rail, balusters, and often a flat 2x6 cap so there is somewhere to set a drink. That works along the deck. On the stairs it usually does not, because a stair of four or more risers needs a handrail you can grip, and a 5½-inch flat cap is not one. The fix is a separate round or shaped rail mounted to the inside of the stair guard, 34 to 38 inches above the nosings. In the 2018 code the stair guard itself must be at least 34 inches tall measured from the nosings, may allow a 4⅜-inch sphere between balusters, and the triangle under the bottom rail at each step must stop a 6-inch sphere.

Sloping Yards Change Where Guards Go

Much of the Nashville area is rolling ground, from the Highland Rim hills to the Central Basin, and a lot of back decks sit low at the house and high at the yard. The guard rule follows the drop, not the deck: any open side where the walking surface is more than 30 inches above grade at any point within 36 inches horizontally needs a guard at least 36 inches tall. The lower part of a long deck stair often needs one even when the top does not.

Materials That Match the Deck

On a pressure-treated deck the simplest stair railing is wood rails with wood or black aluminum balusters fitted between them. Composite decks usually get an aluminum or composite component system with matching stair sections. Steel suits a modern deck and needs a powder coat. Whichever it is, the stair posts are bolted to the stringers or a landing, not just nailed to the outside of the stair.

Permits Vary More Here Than Anywhere

Metro Nashville requires a permit to replace a deck or build a new one. Gallatin requires a permit with footing, framing and final inspections for decks and porches. Mt. Juliet lists no deck exemption at all. Murfreesboro requires a permit to alter a deck but not for minor repairs. We check before work starts. The front of the house is covered under porch and step railings, and a failing stair post under repair.

How long does it take? Replacing the railing on an existing deck stair is often a day. A stair that needs new stringers, a landing or new posts first takes longer, and permits come first where your city requires them.

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