mm wrote:
I'm making a small, low balcony, just 28" off the ground.

Am I generally required to put a railing around this? The railing
would interfere with the view of the yard.

"Generally" is the qualifier and it probably depends on whether you have a
building regulatory body that watches over you and how much of a nanny they
are.

If you have such an oversight agency, you should ask them. If no such
bureaucracy exists, then go for it (I'd plant something soft and thick under
it, though).