Do I need a railing on a deck that is 24 inches off the ground in Fredericton?

Yes, a deck that is 24 inches (600mm) off the ground in Fredericton is right at the threshold where the New Brunswick Building Code requires a guard (railing) to be installed. The code states that guards are required on any deck, balcony, or raised walking surface where the height above adjacent grade is 600mm or more. Since 24 inches equals exactly 600mm, your deck meets this threshold and must have guards installed along any open edge where a person could fall.

This is a point of confusion for many Fredericton homeowners because the threshold is often informally described as "more than 24 inches" or "over 2 feet," but the actual code language triggers the requirement at 600mm — which is 24 inches, not 25. The measurement is taken from the top of the finished deck surface (the walking surface of the decking boards) straight down to the finished grade (the ground level) directly below. If any portion of your deck perimeter reaches that 600mm height — even if most of the deck is lower due to sloping ground — a guard is required along the section that meets the threshold.

The guard must meet several specific requirements under the NB code. It must be a minimum of 900mm (36 inches) high, measured from the deck surface to the top of the guard rail. The balusters or infill panels must prevent a 100mm (4-inch) sphere from passing through at any point, which means clear gaps between balusters cannot exceed approximately 4 inches. The guard system must be structurally capable of resisting a horizontal force of 0.5 kN per metre applied at the top of the rail, which means posts must be securely bolted — not just screwed — to the deck structure. There must be no climbable features in the lower 600mm of the guard, ruling out horizontal elements that could serve as footholds for children.

If your Fredericton deck also has stairs — which it almost certainly does at 24 inches above grade — the staircase has its own code requirements. Each step must have a maximum rise of 200mm (about 7.9 inches) and a minimum run of 235mm (about 9.25 inches). All risers in the same staircase must be within 6mm of each other in height — uneven steps are a tripping hazard and a code violation. The staircase must be at least 860mm (approximately 34 inches) wide. A graspable handrail is required on at least one side of the stairs, and it must have a circular or near-circular cross-section between 32mm and 38mm in diameter so a person can wrap their hand fully around it.

There is a practical aspect worth considering for decks right at the 24-inch mark in Fredericton. Ground level is not static — it changes with grading, landscaping, erosion, and even seasonal frost heave. A deck that measures 22 inches above grade in summer might measure 24 or more inches in spring after frost has shifted the soil or after you have regraded a garden bed. Building inspectors in Fredericton measure the height at the time of inspection, and if conditions change later, you could find yourself out of compliance. For decks anywhere close to the 600mm threshold, installing guards proactively is the wise choice regardless of whether you are technically one inch above or below the trigger point.

From a safety standpoint, even a fall from 24 inches can cause serious injury, particularly for elderly residents, young children, or anyone stepping off an edge unexpectedly in winter when the deck surface may be icy. Fredericton's winter conditions — ice, snow accumulation on deck surfaces, and reduced visibility during early darkness — make railing protection especially valuable at this height. The cost of adding a basic aluminum railing system to a 300-square-foot deck is typically $2,500 to $5,000, which is a modest investment relative to the overall deck cost and provides both code compliance and genuine safety protection for years to come.

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