Railings are where most deck inspections fail, and it is almost always one of two measurements.
Height
Thirty-six inches from the deck surface to the top of the rail for a home. Commercial is forty-two. Measured from the walking surface, not the frame — which is why adding boards over an old deck can put an existing railing out of compliance.
Spacing
Nothing in the railing may allow a four-inch sphere through. That includes the gap under the bottom rail, which is the one people forget.
The rule exists because of children, and inspectors check it with an actual gauge.
When you need one at all
Thirty inches above grade. A deck at twenty-eight inches does not need a railing; one at thirty-one does. On a slope that measurement is taken at the worst point, not the average.
Stairs are separate
Stair rails are thirty-four to thirty-eight inches measured from the tread nosing, and any flight with four or more risers needs a graspable handrail — which a wide flat board is not.
Why it matters beyond the inspection
A non-compliant railing surfaces during a house sale, and it is the kind of thing that holds up a closing. Deck permits in Cherokee County covers the rest. Finished work is on our Facebook page.
