In this section
BC Building Code: Stairs & Guards
British Columbia runs the BCBC 2024 — its own edition of the NBC 2020 — and the residential stair and guard numbers match the national code.
British Columbia runs its own BC Building Code (BCBC), currently the 2024 edition, effective 8 March 2024. It adopts the NBC 2020 with BC variations.
For a house stair the Part 9 figures match the NBC 2020 baseline — 200 mm max riser, 255 mm min run, 1950 mm headroom, 860 mm min width, 865–1070 mm handrails, 900 mm guards (1070 mm otherwise), the 600 mm trigger and the 100 mm gap. See the Canada stair & guard rules, and confirm against the current BCBC 2024 (Division B, Part 9) before you build.
Adoption status
Adopted- Current code in force
- BC Building Code 2024
- Next edition
- —
- Adoption / transition
- British Columbia uses its own BC Building Code (BCBC 2024, effective 8 March 2024), adopting NBC 2020 with BC variations. The residential stair and guard figures match the NBC baseline.
Last verified 2026-07-28
No state-specific variations recorded yet for this jurisdiction.