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EXTERIOR NON EGRESS STAIRS NOT SERVING A BUILDING OR DECK

R

RUSTEDSPUR

Registered User
Joined
Dec 16, 2021
Messages
1
Location
Kootenai County Id
I have an existing set of wood stairs that serves a dock from our rear yard.
The stairs are not associated with the building whatsoever and the County wants me to get a permit for the existing stairs and also
wants engineering?
WE are on 2018 IRC and cannot find anything on this in the book.
The 2021 now has this area covered and is now shown as exempt from code and permit.
Any ideas to get to the county will be helpfull!
 
Tell the County what you said here. Ask for guidance with a code section. That might make a difference and it might not.

The AHJ that I work for has dozens of district offices....district offices are akin to fiefdoms. Each office can, and will, have a different take on stairs not associated with a building. Some would say that your stairs are not regulated by the building code and some would say the opposite. You will find that to be true at this forum as well.
 
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A dock and any related stairs would fall under the IBC as a structure. Does the dock also fall under the Army Corps of Engineers? If it does then I would not do any work to the dock within their ROW without their approval first. They are bigger BB's than any small county could ever be.
 
You say you are regulated by the 2018 IRC. R101.2 says the provisions of that code shall apply to the dwelling and its' accessory structures. The Chapter 2 definition of stairway makes it clear that the code applies to stairways "within or attached to a building, porch or deck". One could certainly argue that a dock is not a building, porch or deck and the code does not apply.
 
RUSTEDSPUR said:
I have an existing set of wood stairs that serves a dock from our rear yard.
The stairs are not associated with the building whatsoever and the County wants me to get a permit for the existing stairs and also
wants engineering?
Click to expand...
How long have they been existing and why is the county wanting a permit and engineering now
 
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