Did you know that approximately 79% of the accidents in a home happen on stairs? There are plenty of Building Codes that are written to try and prevent this. The codes intent is to make the stairs as uniform as possible so you don’t have to think about your next step. Residential Building Code states that stair treads and risers must not differ more than 3/8″ from the shortest to the longest throughout the stair flight. The intent is so that you take the same step over and over without having to think or get tripped up. Along with the complete measurements of the stairs being written out in the code, there are also code that strictly define the way handrails are to be installed, guardrails, and landings. All of these codes are written in great detail in the IRC to help minimize the amount of accidents on stairs and the severity. The picture above was a set of stairs at Final Inspections.