Bezdan, The Choice for Stair & Deck Railings in Vancouver

In Vancouver, residential building codes follow the City of Vancouver Building By-Law, which is based on the National Building Code of Canada (NBC), with provincial modifications.

Key railing requirements in the NBC include:

• Height of Handrails (NBC Section 9.8.7.4): Between 865 mm and 1070 mm measured vertically from the stair tread nosing or landing surface.
• Minimum Height of Guards (NBC Section 9.8.8.3): At least 900 mm for interior stair guards, and typically 1070 mm for guards on exterior elevated surfaces such as decks and balconies where a guard is required due to fall height.
• Opening Limitations (NBC Section 9.8.8.5): No opening should allow the passage of a 100 mm sphere.
• Load Requirements (NBC Section 9.8.7.7): Handrails and guards must resist a 0.9 kN concentrated load applied in any direction, along with additional distributed load requirements depending on application.
• Climb-Resistant Design (NBC Section 9.8.8.6): May be required where fall height exceeds 4.2 m in certain occupancies.

Always refer to the latest City of Vancouver Building By-Law updates and check with your municipality for any additional local bylaws or permitting requirements.

Bezdan’s team has extensive experience and vendor relationships for special orders of unique or hard-to-find items. Let us know what you are looking for, and we’ll do our best to help!

For metal and glass or cable railing installations, we offer a take-off and quote service and product recommendations. Feel free to contact our team with your specific project needs. Quotes are typically provided on the same business day or within 24 hours.