# Northwest Territories Building Code: Stairs & Guards The Northwest Territories has no standalone territorial building code — the NBC 2020 applies by reference through fire regulations and municipal by-laws. Confirm locally before you build. - Canonical HTML: https://www.chippy.tools/building-codes/ca/nt/ - Publisher: Chippy Tools - Language: en - Updated: 2026-09-13 [Browse all topics](https://www.chippy.tools/building-codes/topics/)[Free web tools](https://www.chippy.tools/building-codes/tools/)[Printable references](https://www.chippy.tools/building-codes/printables/) [All countries](https://www.chippy.tools/building-codes/) [Canada](https://www.chippy.tools/building-codes/ca/) Topics Stairs - [NBC Stair & Guard Rules: Riser, Run, Handrails, Guards](https://www.chippy.tools/building-codes/ca/stairs/stair-and-barrier-requirements/) Footings - [Canada Footing Sizes (NBC 9.15)](https://www.chippy.tools/building-codes/ca/footings/footing-sizes-and-depth/) Room heights - [Canada Minimum Ceiling Heights (NBC 9.5)](https://www.chippy.tools/building-codes/ca/rooms/minimum-ceiling-heights/) Ramps - [Canada Ramp Slopes (NBC 9.8)](https://www.chippy.tools/building-codes/ca/ramps/ramp-gradients/) Wet areas - [Shower & Bathtub Waterproof Finish (NBC 9.29.2)](https://www.chippy.tools/building-codes/ca/wet-areas/waterproofing-requirements/) By province & territory - [Alberta](https://www.chippy.tools/building-codes/ca/ab/) - [British Columbia](https://www.chippy.tools/building-codes/ca/bc/) - [Manitoba](https://www.chippy.tools/building-codes/ca/mb/) - [New Brunswick](https://www.chippy.tools/building-codes/ca/nb/) - [Newfoundland and Labrador](https://www.chippy.tools/building-codes/ca/nl/) - [Nova Scotia](https://www.chippy.tools/building-codes/ca/ns/) - [Northern Territory](https://www.chippy.tools/building-codes/ca/nt/) - [Nunavut](https://www.chippy.tools/building-codes/ca/nu/) - [Ontario](https://www.chippy.tools/building-codes/ca/on/) - [Prince Edward Island](https://www.chippy.tools/building-codes/ca/pe/) - [Québec](https://www.chippy.tools/building-codes/ca/qc/) - [Saskatchewan](https://www.chippy.tools/building-codes/ca/sk/) - [Yukon](https://www.chippy.tools/building-codes/ca/yt/) Calculation guides - [Concrete Calculations: The Complete On-Site Guide](https://www.chippy.tools/building-codes/concrete/concrete-calculations-guide/) - [How to Calculate Concrete Volume for a Slab](https://www.chippy.tools/building-codes/concrete/concrete-volume-slab/) - [How Many Bags of Concrete Per m³? (20kg, 25kg, 40kg)](https://www.chippy.tools/building-codes/concrete/bags-of-concrete-per-m3/) - [Concrete for Post Holes: Volume Per Hole & Bags Needed](https://www.chippy.tools/building-codes/concrete/concrete-post-holes/) - [Concrete Mix Ratios Explained: 1:2:3, 1:2:4 & Water-Cement Ratio](https://www.chippy.tools/building-codes/concrete/concrete-mix-ratios/) - [Roof Pitch to Angle: Convert Rise/Run to Degrees & Grade](https://www.chippy.tools/building-codes/concrete/roof-pitch-to-angle/) - [Rafter Length Calculation: Run, Rise & Overhang](https://www.chippy.tools/building-codes/concrete/rafter-length/) - [Stair Rise & Run Setout: Riser, Going & the 2R+G Formula](https://www.chippy.tools/building-codes/concrete/stair-rise-and-run-setout/) - [How to Convert a Fall or Gradient: Ratio, Percentage & Degrees](https://www.chippy.tools/building-codes/concrete/fall-and-gradient-conversion/) - [Stud & Joist Spacing Takeoff: How Many at 400, 450 & 600 mm Centres](https://www.chippy.tools/building-codes/concrete/stud-and-joist-spacing-takeoff/) - [Gravel & Base Volume: Compacted Depth vs Loose-Fill Order Quantity](https://www.chippy.tools/building-codes/concrete/gravel-and-base-volume/) In this section [Browse all topics](https://www.chippy.tools/building-codes/topics/)[Free web tools](https://www.chippy.tools/building-codes/tools/)[Printable references](https://www.chippy.tools/building-codes/printables/) [All countries](https://www.chippy.tools/building-codes/) [Canada](https://www.chippy.tools/building-codes/ca/) Topics Stairs - [NBC Stair & Guard Rules: Riser, Run, Handrails, Guards](https://www.chippy.tools/building-codes/ca/stairs/stair-and-barrier-requirements/) Footings - [Canada Footing Sizes (NBC 9.15)](https://www.chippy.tools/building-codes/ca/footings/footing-sizes-and-depth/) Room heights - [Canada Minimum Ceiling Heights (NBC 9.5)](https://www.chippy.tools/building-codes/ca/rooms/minimum-ceiling-heights/) Ramps - [Canada Ramp Slopes (NBC 9.8)](https://www.chippy.tools/building-codes/ca/ramps/ramp-gradients/) Wet areas - [Shower & Bathtub Waterproof Finish (NBC 9.29.2)](https://www.chippy.tools/building-codes/ca/wet-areas/waterproofing-requirements/) By province & territory - [Alberta](https://www.chippy.tools/building-codes/ca/ab/) - [British Columbia](https://www.chippy.tools/building-codes/ca/bc/) - [Manitoba](https://www.chippy.tools/building-codes/ca/mb/) - [New Brunswick](https://www.chippy.tools/building-codes/ca/nb/) - [Newfoundland and Labrador](https://www.chippy.tools/building-codes/ca/nl/) - [Nova Scotia](https://www.chippy.tools/building-codes/ca/ns/) - [Northern Territory](https://www.chippy.tools/building-codes/ca/nt/) - [Nunavut](https://www.chippy.tools/building-codes/ca/nu/) - [Ontario](https://www.chippy.tools/building-codes/ca/on/) - [Prince Edward Island](https://www.chippy.tools/building-codes/ca/pe/) - [Québec](https://www.chippy.tools/building-codes/ca/qc/) - [Saskatchewan](https://www.chippy.tools/building-codes/ca/sk/) - [Yukon](https://www.chippy.tools/building-codes/ca/yt/) Calculation guides - [Concrete Calculations: The Complete On-Site Guide](https://www.chippy.tools/building-codes/concrete/concrete-calculations-guide/) - [How to Calculate Concrete Volume for a Slab](https://www.chippy.tools/building-codes/concrete/concrete-volume-slab/) - [How Many Bags of Concrete Per m³? (20kg, 25kg, 40kg)](https://www.chippy.tools/building-codes/concrete/bags-of-concrete-per-m3/) - [Concrete for Post Holes: Volume Per Hole & Bags Needed](https://www.chippy.tools/building-codes/concrete/concrete-post-holes/) - [Concrete Mix Ratios Explained: 1:2:3, 1:2:4 & Water-Cement Ratio](https://www.chippy.tools/building-codes/concrete/concrete-mix-ratios/) - [Roof Pitch to Angle: Convert Rise/Run to Degrees & Grade](https://www.chippy.tools/building-codes/concrete/roof-pitch-to-angle/) - [Rafter Length Calculation: Run, Rise & Overhang](https://www.chippy.tools/building-codes/concrete/rafter-length/) - [Stair Rise & Run Setout: Riser, Going & the 2R+G Formula](https://www.chippy.tools/building-codes/concrete/stair-rise-and-run-setout/) - [How to Convert a Fall or Gradient: Ratio, Percentage & Degrees](https://www.chippy.tools/building-codes/concrete/fall-and-gradient-conversion/) - [Stud & Joist Spacing Takeoff: How Many at 400, 450 & 600 mm Centres](https://www.chippy.tools/building-codes/concrete/stud-and-joist-spacing-takeoff/) - [Gravel & Base Volume: Compacted Depth vs Loose-Fill Order Quantity](https://www.chippy.tools/building-codes/concrete/gravel-and-base-volume/) [Building Codes](https://www.chippy.tools/building-codes/) [Canada](https://www.chippy.tools/building-codes/ca/) Northwest Territories # Northwest Territories Building Code: Stairs & Guards The Northwest Territories has no standalone territorial building code — the NBC 2020 applies by reference through fire regulations and municipal by-laws. Confirm locally before you build. The Northwest Territories has **no standalone territorial building code**. The [National Building Code (NBC) 2020](https://www.chippy.tools/building-codes/ca/) applies by reference through territorial fire regulations, and enforcement runs through municipal by-laws rather than a single provincial statute. Because there’s no single instrument to point to, **confirm the current requirements with your local municipality or the GNWT before you build**. Where the NBC applies, a house stair follows 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](https://www.chippy.tools/building-codes/ca/stairs/stair-and-barrier-requirements/) — but treat these as a starting point, not a confirmed local requirement. ## Adoption status Local Current code in force NBC 2020 (by reference) Next edition — Adoption / transition No standalone territorial code — NBC via fire regs + municipal by-laws [Official source →](https://gov.nt.ca) Last verified 2026-07-28 No state-specific variations recorded yet for this jurisdiction. This page is general information for tradespeople and is not compliance, engineering or legal advice. Requirements are subject to state and territory variations and adoption timing. Always confirm requirements with your building certifier and relevant state authority. ## Page directory