My staircase makes a 90-degree turn halfway down. Two bannisters,
unconnected, are mounted on one side. The ends of the bannisters are
"open" and out of building code. Is it customary to attach "wall
returns" to the end of the banisters?

Phisherman wrote:
My staircase makes a 90-degree turn halfway down. Two bannisters,
unconnected, are mounted on one side. The ends of the bannisters are
"open" and out of building code. Is it customary to attach "wall
returns" to the end of the banisters?

The IBC requires that handrails return to the wall, guard, or floor.
The idea is to prevent clothing from catching on the end of the handrail
and contributing to a fall.

It's often not enforced though.

Chris

On Mon, 20 Jul 2009 18:26:34 -0400, Phisherman
wrote:

My staircase makes a 90-degree turn halfway down. Two bannisters,
unconnected, are mounted on one side. The ends of the bannisters are
"open" and out of building code. Is it customary to attach "wall
returns" to the end of the banisters?

If this is a wall hanging rail, code requires a return to the wall at
the top and bottom of each rail. You don't need a continuous rail if
there is a landing or a post.

Mike O.