Hawaii State Residential Code: Stairs & Guards

Hawaii builds to the Hawaii State Residential Code, based on the 2021 IRC, effective 6 March 2022. Each of the state’s four counties (Honolulu, Hawaiʻi, Maui, Kauaʻi) is required to adopt — and may amend — the code within two years of the state edition; the state code only serves as the interim county code if a county fails to adopt.

That two-step structure means a county could, in principle, run an amended version — but no specific county stair or guard amendment has been confirmed here. For a house stair, the figures follow the IRC baseline — 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 — confirm any amendments your county has made. See the US stair & guard rules for the shared figures.