Stair Design Building Regulation Requirements (Private Dwellings) England

Table of Contents

The following notes refer to the English Building Regulation Requirements for designing a stair in a private dwelling from Approved Document Part K. Please refer to Approved Document Part B for recommendations and guidance for Fire Safety in stair design.

Rise and Going:

The rise of a stair must been between 150mm and 220mm, with any going between 220mm and 300mm and a maximum pitch of 42 degrees.

Rule of thumb: twice the rise plus the going or/ 2R + G should be between 550mm and 700mm

Steps may have open risers if the treads have an overlap of minimum 16mm, a 100mm diameter sphere cannot pass through the open riser.

Headroom:

Minimum headroom should be provided according to image below.

Where there is reduced headroom for loft conversions – a reduced headroom can be provided according to the image below.

Width of Stairs

There are no specific requirements for the width of a stair to a private dwelling, however we recommend 900mm.

Length of flights of stairs

If a stair has more than 36 risers in a consecutive flight, a minimum of one change of direction between flight will be required. The change of direction must be a minimum of 30 degrees.