When deciding on what stair design best suits your property, the often fiddly and confusing Building Regulations can turn a dream do-over or DIY renovation into a logistical nightmare. The team here at British Spirals & Castings can help walk you through these requirements as we design your staircase, but we know some customers like to get their head around these rules before getting in touch. One of the key considerations is how wide your landing needs to be and how much free space is needed at the top and bottom of the staircase.
Under current guidelines in England, Scotland and Wales, the top and bottom of the stairs are effectively treated as a landing. This means there must be clear, unobstructed space at either end of the flight so you can get up and down the staircase easily. The particular requirements will depend on your building type and the spaces served by the staircase.
For all buildings:
- In all cases, stairs must have landings which are at least as big – in length and width – as the width of the flight. This will need to comply with the minimum widths set for the particular staircase type. For example, if the stair width is 1000 mm, then the landing must be at least 1000 mm by 1000 mm in area. The diagram below shows how this works.
- The landing should also be kept clear of permanent In England and Wales, doors to cupboards or ducts may open over the landing in England, provided they are kept shut/locked in normal use and still provide a minimum clear space which is at least 400 mm deep (as shown below). In Scotland, this is only allowed on private staircases (those within homes).
- Landings should be level. They can only have a gradient if the surface is firm and the maximum gradient along the direction of travel is 1:60. This means that for every 1 unit of rise or fall, there should be 60 units of landing. This is more likely to occur in external situations.
Dwellings:
In England, Scotland and Wales, it is possible for a door at the top or bottom of the staircase to swing across the landing providing a minimum clear depth of at least 400 mm is maintained (as shown below)
Non-dwellings:
In non-domestic situations, there needs to be a bigger space on the top and bottom landings than in domestic dwellings. The reason for this is simple, these flights. Will serve more people than one in the home and there may be people moving in both directions on the staircase at a given time.
- There must be an unobstructed clear depth of at least 1200 mm on each landing.
- In England and Wales, doors may only swing across landings when they are shut/locked under normal use. In Scotland, doors must not swing across this space.
If you live outside England, Scotland or Wales, you will need to check your local Building Regulations to confirm the exact requirements.
Once you are measured up, take a look at ourgalleryand get in touch or send a quote request. Our friendly team will help to design a made to measure staircase for your space.
FAQs
In all cases, stairs must have landings which are at least as big – in length and width – as the width of the flight. This will need to comply with the minimum widths set for the particular staircase type. For example, if the stair width is 1000 mm, then the landing must be at least 1000 mm by 1000 mm in area.
How wide should a landing be in the UK? ›
Landings on stairs
The landing distance in front of the top and bottom step must be wider than the width of the staircase. 3. No door should swing closer than 400mm onto the front of any step.
How wide should a landing be? ›
Every landing shall have a minimum depth, measured parallel to the direction of travel, equal to the width of the stairway or 48 inches (1219 mm), whichever is less. Doors opening onto a landing shall not reduce the landing to less than one-half the required width.
How wide does a spiral staircase need to be? ›
This is normally known as a Category A staircase. The minimum requirement is a 600mm clear width and a centre going of 145mm. This would be a minimum of a 1500mm diameter spiral in any of the solid timber ranges.
What is the British standard for spiral staircases? ›
Spiral and helical stairs regulations
All the spiral and helical staircases that we manufacture at Spiral UK are compliant with British Standards Document BS 5395 Part II.
What is the 27 rule for stairs? ›
At and below the handrail height, the required width of the stairway, including treads and landings, is only 27 inches (686 mm) if handrails are installed on each side, and only 31-1/2 inches (800 mm) if there is only one handrail installed.
What is the minimum landing width in NHBC? ›
A landing in all cases = minimum 900mm going. The handrails should be between 850mm and 1000mm above the pitch line and extend minimum 300mm beyond top and bottom nosings.
How much is the maximum landing width? ›
Every landing shall have a dimension measured in the direction of travel equal to the width of the stairway. Such dimension need not exceed 1.20 meters (4 feet) when the stair has a straight run. Landings, when provided shall not be reduced in width by more than 9.3 centimeters (3-1/2 inches) by a door when fully open.
What is a normal landing of aircraft? ›
Normally, the landing gear should be extended and the before landing check completed prior to reaching the base leg. After turning onto the base leg, the pilot should start the descent with reduced power and airspeed of approximately 1.4 VSO. (VSO—the stalling speed with power off, landing gears and flaps down.)
What is the minimum space for a landing? ›
The length of the landing should be at least as long as the stair or ramp is wide. The width of a stair or ramp is defined as the clear width between the walls or balustrades. Generally, there is no width recommendation given for stairs or ramps in dwellings, but there are exceptions to this rule.
Yes, spiral staircases are legal in the UK as long they live up to the regulations in the UK Building Regulation for private use.
What is the rule for spiral staircases? ›
For normal use, an industrial spiral staircase needs its steps to be at least 11 inches wide from the tread center to the outside, and must be 6 inches deep at the midpoint — remember, as the staircase is spiraling, the steps themselves are shaped like a slice of pizza, with the tip pointing toward the center while the ...
What is the width code for spiral stairs? ›
IRC 2021 R311.
The clear width at and below the handrails at spiral stairways shall not be less than 26 inches (660 mm) and the walkline radius shall not be greater than 24 ½ inches (622 mm).
Are spiral staircases legal in US? ›
Spiral stairways are permitted, provided that the clear width at and below the handrail is not less than 26 inches (660 mm) and the walkline radius is not greater than 241/2 inches (622 mm).
Do spiral stairs need landings? ›
Is there a height limit for spiral staircases? There is no maximum height for spiral staircases but a landing is required every 12′ of vertical stairway rise.
What are the British standards for stairs? ›
No normal-use stair should have more than 40 rises in consecutive flights without at least one change of direction of a minimum of 30° between flights or an intermediate landing of 2 000 mm or more in length. A normal-use stair should have closed rather than open rises (see Figure 5).
What is the minimum width of a staircase in the UK? ›
The run or going of the staircase must be at least 220mm. There are currently no rules regarding the staircase width, but it is generally agreed that widths between 800mm and 900mm work well. On average, main staircases have widths of 860mm.
What is the width of a landing in OSHA? ›
Stairways that will not be a permanent part of the structure on which construction work is being performed shall have landings of not less than 30 inches (76 cm) in the direction of travel and extend at least 22 inches (56 cm) in width at every 12 feet (3.7 m) or less of vertical rise.
What is the standard dimension of landing? ›
Landings. Every landing shall have a dimension measured in the direction of travel equal to the width of the stairway. Such dimension need not exceed 1.20 meters (4 feet) when the stair has a straight run.
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