kadoka
02-04-2005, 02:05 AM
Just started the excavation on our house and have a question about the porch. We are keeping the porch low to the ground so we don't have put railings on it. Now code says the floor can not be more than 30" above grade or a railing is required. As nothing is flat on the lot, the question is. Is there some kind of requirement as to how far horizontally from the edge of the porch this "less than 30" has to be maintained. If you are standing right next to the porch and it is less than 30" above grade, does the grade have to maintain that level out a certain distance? Would a 4' level grade beyond the porch be sufficient? UBC specifies the 30" but I don't find anything that says how far the grade must be maintained. With the normal grade of the lot, if the porch was 24" above grade at the edge, it would probably be 36" , 6' to 8' ft out from the edge.