Handrails and Grade Differential

[CPENG78]

Hello Everyone,
I have a special scenerio that some of you may have come across before. A house was built on a hillside in California. The driveway connects from the street down towards the garage entrance at about 12% slope. Onse side of the driveway is two to three feet away from a 4 foot retaining wall which basically retains the driveway. After this retaining wall there is a series of retaining walls that terrace down to retain basically the property as you move downhill.

The home owner is been asked to place a handrail by the HOA due to the difference in grade at the edge of the driveway/first retianing wall. While I have across the handrail requirements for staircases (where grade differential is more than 30 inches) and ramps, I do not see this requierement on any code for this application. While I agree with the application of the guardrail/handrail for safety purposes and it will be my recommnedation to the homeowner, can someone point me to any code that may have such a requirement for this scenerio? Any requirements or examples for such a situation in other states, counties, etc? Thanks.

 

[Ron]

If the grade difference is greater than 30 inches you need a guardrail (not necessarily a handrail). Perhaps it is that to which the HOA refers.

 

[bimr]

It many be listed in the munical development code.

Why don't you ask the inspector to point you to the code citation so that your finished design will meet the code requirements?

 

[ptmoss]

Does HOA = Homeowners Association? If so then perhaps there is something in the Association Covenants requiring a handrail.

But more basic, I assume the HOA concern is for pedestrian traffic as a handrail won't do too much for a vehicle (sorry to state the obvious..). How long is the driveway and what is the overall grade change between street and garage? What's the overall grade change in these series of walls between the driveway edge and the property line?

Personally I would design/recommend guardrail, boulders or some other form of barrier for vehicles, then I'd worry about pedestrian traffic. Though since this is a private driveway, unless the development was funded with some form of Federal/State money, say HUD loans or something similar, then I doubt ADA would apply.

When I design steep driveways, or driveways of any grade actually, where there is a significantly steep sideslope or retaining wall needed, then I design for some form of safety barrier, but along driveways I don't worry about pedestrians. If there's retaining walls around houses I'm more apt to consider some form of barrier for kids etc.

 

[JedClampett]

Ron is right. You need Guard (the technical name for what everyone calls Guardrail) to protect around openings where the drop is more than 30 inches. I'm at home, so I don't have the IBC section to cite.

 

[PELS]

I beleive the codes that can apply in your case are the International Building Code (IBC 1003.2.12) and the International Residential Code (IRC R316.1).

Guardrail Location Requirements:

IRC 2000 30 inch (762mm) above floor or grade below.

IRC 2003 R312.1 Guards required. Porches, balconies or raised floor surfaces located more than 30 inches (762 mm) above the floor "OR GRADE BELOW" shall have guards not less than 36 inches (914mm) in height.

IBC 2000 Open-sided walking surfaces, mezzanines, industrial equipment platforms, stairways, ramps and landings more than 30 inches (762mm) above floor "OR GRADE BELOW".

 

[ptmoss]

Sorry, I have to disagree. I don't believe a single one of those applies to a driveway.

 

[cvg]

the HOA does not have to follow any building code and can create and enforce it's own set of rules. You could go to the board and argue with them, but not sure why you would - it sounds like this is a legitimate safety concern. Why not ask them what building code they are expecting you to follow.

 

[CPENG78]

Thank you everyone for your input.

Yes HOA = Homeowner's association and in the projects that I have worked on, even if its a private subdivision ADA rules are still enforced by the city or municipality in jurisdiction.

I know about the 30 inch grade differential and requirement for handrail but I was looking for the actual "wording" in the code that makes this requirement.

I agree, it makes no sense to protect pedestrians with a handrail (in a driveway) and yet have no guardrail for a 40 foot drop if the vehicle ends up jumping the curb. Somehow the HOA is more concerned about pedestrians than the vehicles as the bigger issue. What surprises me even more is that the HOA is bringing this up now that the house is built and not the original design engineer and further more the city's plan check process; even the city's building inspector for that matter.

PELS: I will look into those code citations you provided. Thank you.

Ptmoss: I agree with your design approach, I would have done the same, unfortunately this house was built this way.

Bimr: I will look into your suggestion.

Ron/Jedd: Thank you for your input.

 

[cvg]

it is not unusual at all for an HOA to do this. HOA has no authority through the city building code or inspector and there may be no engineers or code enforcement officers employed by the board. However, most HOA's react to complaints by other HOA members such as a neighbor who may have asked that the HOA look into requiring a railing. Or, the HOA insurance company did an inspection and made the recommendation,trying to avoid liability.

 

[GoldDredger]

If I were the homeowner I'd probably be inclined to tell the HOA to stuff it. I don't suppose the HOA is willing to cough up any money for it. This is all within private property right?

I doubt the CCR's (Covenant Condition Restrictions) of the HOA specifically covers this.

 

[PELS]

ptmoss:

Like laws, codes are subject to interpretation by whoever is reading it. Intelligent people can disagree on their understanding of what they are reading.

Personally, I don't think you will find a code anywhere that expressly addresses driveway dropoff as described above (I couldn't find one). CPENG78 asked, "....can someone point me to ANY code that MAY have such a requirement....". That's what I tried to do.


I stated these codes "can" apply (depending on your interpretation).

 

[CPENG78]

Yes Gold, it is private property and the homeowner does want to tell the HOA to forget about it but like CVG mentions, it is a liability issue. These days it feels like someone that decides to trespass into private property can sue if they decided to fall off the edge.

Anyways, along the same subject but on a different project guardrails were mentioned. I have a temporary (meaning approximately 3 months) construction zone with K-rail at the limits of the work zone. What method is utilized to design crash cushions at the ends of the K-rail for oncoming traffic? How would one choose which type of crash cushion to use? Traffic design speed is 45 mph.

I figure its the same subject, so I choose to stay in the same thread. Thanks everyone for your responses.