In this section
Florida Building Code: Stairs & Guards
Florida runs the FBC Residential — its own IRC-based code — but its amendments are about wind, not stairs. The stair and guard figures match the IRC.
Florida builds to the Florida Building Code, Residential (FBC-R) — currently the 8th Edition (2023), based on the IRC 2021, effective 31 December 2023. It’s a statewide code, but its amendments concentrate on wind loading and the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone (Miami-Dade and Broward), not on stair geometry.
So for a house stair the figures match the IRC — 7¾ in max riser, 10 in min tread, 6 ft 8 in headroom, 36 in min width, 34–38 in handrails, 36 in guards, the 30 in guard trigger and the 4 in sphere. See the US stair & guard rules.
Adoption status
Adopted- Current code in force
- Florida Building Code, Residential (8th Edition, 2023)
- Next edition
- —
- Adoption / transition
- Florida uses the Florida Building Code, Residential (8th Edition, 2023, based on IRC 2021), effective 31 December 2023. Its amendments target wind and the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone, not stair geometry — the stair and guard figures match the IRC.
Last verified 2026-07-28
No state-specific variations recorded yet for this jurisdiction.