In Alberta, stairs in a house can have risers up to 200 mm (7.9 in) high on runs as short as 255 mm (10 in), and at least one stair between floors must be 860 mm (2 ft 10 in) wide with 1 950 mm (6 ft 5 in) of headroom (NBC(AE) 2023, Section 9.8). Stairs outside houses must be gentler, with risers of 180 mm (7.1 in) at most and runs of at least 280 mm (11 in). These rules are in the second printing of the National Building Code, 2023 Alberta Edition, in force since 17 August 2026 (Government of Alberta, 2026).
Key takeaways
- As of September 2026, stairs serving a house or a house with a secondary suite can rise 125 mm to 200 mm per step and run 255 mm to 355 mm (NBC(AE) 2023, Tables 9.8.4.1 and 9.8.4.2).
- At least one stair between floors of a home must be 860 mm (2 ft 10 in) wide (NBC(AE) 2023, 9.8.2.1).
- Stairs in a house need 1 950 mm (6 ft 5 in) of headroom, or 1 850 mm (6 ft 1 in) under beams and ducts in a secondary suite (NBC(AE) 2023, 9.8.2.2).
- One flight can climb no more than 3.7 m (12 ft 2 in), and each flight needs a landing at its top and bottom, with a few exceptions (NBC(AE) 2023, 9.8.3.3 and 9.8.6.2).
- Handrails must be 865 mm to 1 070 mm (2 ft 10 in to 3 ft 6 in) high (NBC(AE) 2023, 9.8.7.4).
- Guards must be at least 900 mm (2 ft 11 in) high inside a home and 1 070 mm (3 ft 6 in) in most other places (NBC(AE) 2023, 9.8.8.3).
What does the Alberta stair code require?
The code sets two groups of limits. Private stairs serve a single home, a house with a secondary suite, or a garage that serves either one. Public stairs are all the others, apart from service stairs (NBC(AE) 2023, Table 9.8.4.1). So the steps up from a garage that serves your home follow the home's rules (NBC(AE) 2023, 9.8.1.2).
Here are the main stair limits in Alberta as of September 2026:
| Rule | Private stairs (homes) | Public stairs | Clause |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rise per step | 125 mm to 200 mm (4.9 in to 7.9 in) | 125 mm to 180 mm (4.9 in to 7.1 in) | Table 9.8.4.1 |
| Run per step | 255 mm to 355 mm (10 in to 1 ft 2 in) | 280 mm (11 in) or more | Table 9.8.4.2 |
| Tread depth | The run, up to the run plus 25 mm (1 in) | Same | 9.8.4.2 |
| Width | 860 mm (2 ft 10 in) | 900 mm (2 ft 11 in) in residential buildings | 9.8.2.1 |
| Headroom | 1 950 mm (6 ft 5 in), or 1 850 mm (6 ft 1 in) under beams and ducts in a suite | 2 050 mm (6 ft 9 in) | 9.8.2.2 |
| Height of one flight | 3.7 m (12 ft 2 in) at most | Same | 9.8.3.3 |
| Riser variation in a flight | 5 mm between neighbours, 10 mm from tallest to shortest | Same | 9.8.4.4 |
Note: code limits, not recommended sizes. Confirm with the City of Calgary before you build.
What are the rise and run limits for stairs in Alberta?
In a house, each step can rise 125 mm to 200 mm (4.9 in to 7.9 in) and run 255 mm to 355 mm (10 in to 1 ft 2 in). Both are measured nosing to nosing, and the tread can be up to 25 mm (1 in) deeper than the run to allow for the nosing (NBC(AE) 2023, 9.8.4.2 and Figure A-9.8.4.-B).
The steps in a flight must match within 5 mm of each other and 10 mm from tallest to shortest. Nosings need a rounded or bevelled edge of 6 mm to 14 mm, and open risers are allowed in a home (NBC(AE) 2023, 9.8.4.4, 9.8.4.8 and 9.8.4.9).
Turning stairs have their own rules. Tapered treads need at least 150 mm (5.9 in) of run at the narrow end. Winders must turn exactly 30° or 45° each, up to 90° per set, with one set allowed between floors. Spiral stairs can't serve as an exit (NBC(AE) 2023, 9.8.4.3, 9.8.4.6, 9.8.3.1 and 9.8.4.7).
How wide do stairs need to be, and how much headroom?
In a home, at least one stair between each pair of floors must be 860 mm (2 ft 10 in) wide, the same as the minimum hallway width. Handrails and stringers can project up to 100 mm (3.9 in) into that width (NBC(AE) 2023, 9.8.2.1 and 9.8.7.6).
Headroom is measured straight up, across the stair's clear width, from a line touching the nosings to the lowest thing above. A stair in a house needs 1 950 mm (6 ft 5 in). Under beams and ducting in a secondary suite, 1 850 mm (6 ft 1 in) is allowed, and stairs outside houses need 2 050 mm (6 ft 9 in) (NBC(AE) 2023, 9.8.2.2). Landings in a house get the same 1 950 mm (NBC(AE) 2023, 9.8.6.4).
These match the City of Calgary's basement suite ceilings: 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in), or 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) where ducts and beams need drop ceilings (The City of Calgary, 2026). The basement ceiling height guide covers the rooms.
When does a stair need a landing, and how big?
Every flight needs a landing at its top and bottom, and so does any doorway that opens onto a stair (NBC(AE) 2023, 9.8.6.2). The code defines a flight as a series of steps between landings, so with the 3.7 m (12 ft 2 in) cap on one flight, a taller climb needs a landing partway.
In a home, three cases can skip a landing. A door at the top of an inside stair can skip the landing if it swings away from the stair. A short outside stair at a secondary entrance can skip the top landing under strict conditions, including 3 risers or fewer. An outside stair can skip the bottom landing if no gate or door sits within 900 mm (2 ft 11 in) of it, or within the stair's width if that's less.
A landing must be at least as wide and as long as the stair is wide. A straight landing, or one that turns less than 90°, never has to be longer than 1 100 mm (3 ft 7 in). A door that swings toward the stair must swing fully over the landing (NBC(AE) 2023, 9.8.6.3). Winders save floor space, but the code's note says "the safest method of incorporating the turn is to use a landing" (NBC(AE) 2023, Note A-9.8.4.6).
For a suite's exit stair, Calgary's checklist asks for an 860 mm width, a handrail, landings at least 860 mm long and a light switched at the top and bottom. A new outside stairwell needs a foundation designed by a registered professional engineer (The City of Calgary, 2026). The basement suite guide covers the rest.
What are the handrail and railing heights in Alberta?
Handrails must be 865 mm to 1 070 mm (2 ft 10 in to 3 ft 6 in) high, and guards at least 900 mm (2 ft 11 in) inside a home. A handrail is the rail you hold. A guard is the barrier at an open side that stops a fall, often called a railing.
These are the handrail and guard rules as of September 2026:
| Rule | Value | Clause |
|---|---|---|
| Handrail height, from a line along the nosings | 865 mm to 1 070 mm (2 ft 10 in to 3 ft 6 in) | 9.8.7.4 |
| Handrails on a stair inside a home | 1 side, at any width | Table 9.8.7.1 |
| Handrails on other stairs | 1 side if straight and under 1 100 mm (3 ft 7 in) wide, otherwise 2 | Table 9.8.7.1 |
| No handrail needed in a home | Inside stairs of 2 risers or fewer, outside stairs of 3 or fewer | 9.8.7.1 |
| Guard needed | Where the drop is more than 600 mm (2 ft) within 1.2 m (3 ft 11 in) | 9.8.8.1 |
| Guard height inside a home | 900 mm (2 ft 11 in) | 9.8.8.3 |
| Guard outside one home, surface up to 1 800 mm (5 ft 11 in) above ground | 900 mm | 9.8.8.3 |
| Guard height everywhere else | 1 070 mm (3 ft 6 in) | 9.8.8.3 |
| Openings in a guard | Small enough to stop a 100 mm (3.9 in) sphere | 9.8.8.5 |
Note: code minimums, not recommended sizes. Confirm with the City of Calgary before you build.
On a stair, guard height is measured straight up from a line through the nosings (NBC(AE) 2023, 9.8.8.3). The code's note explains the lower guard in a home: guard heights follow an average person's waist, and people who live in a home get to know its hazards. Required handrails must be graspable from the bottom riser to the top one, though in a home a handrail may start from a newel post on the bottom tread (NBC(AE) 2023, 9.8.7.2).
What does a steep stair feel like next to a gentle one?
The code doesn't define a comfortable stair. The two drawings below show the steepest stair each group allows.
The first is a house stair at its limits: a 200 mm rise, a 255 mm run, 1 950 mm of headroom and the 865 mm to 1 070 mm handrail band.
The second is the steepest public stair, the kind you climb in apartment buildings, offices and shops: a 180 mm rise, a 280 mm run and 2 050 mm of headroom (NBC(AE) 2023, 3.4.6.8 and Tables 9.8.4.1 and 9.8.4.2).
The house stair climbs at about 38° and the public one at about 33°. Each house step is 20 mm taller, and its run gives your foot 25 mm less tread. In return, the steep stair is shorter: for every metre it climbs, it travels about 1.28 m forward, against about 1.56 m for the public limit. On a plan, that extra length comes out of the rooms at the top and bottom.
What does a walkthrough show for stairs?
The studio's LED floor is flat, so you can't climb a stair on it. You can see the stair's footprint at full size: how much floor it takes, where the landings fall and whether a door swings over a landing or into the stair. Changes are made on the spot, so you can compare a steeper and a gentler version of the same stair and see which room gives up the difference.
A standard session is two hours and is recorded for you to keep. Sessions are quoted for the plan by its size, the quote is free, and there's nothing to pay at booking (get a quote). See the other room size guides, how sessions work for renovations, or book a session.
Questions
What is the maximum stair rise in Alberta?
In Alberta, the maximum rise for stairs in a house is 200 mm (7.9 in) per step, as of September 2026. Public stairs are capped at 180 mm (7.1 in), and every stair needs at least 125 mm (4.9 in) per step.
What is the minimum stair width in Alberta?
In Alberta, at least one stair between floors of a home must be 860 mm (2 ft 10 in) wide. Public stairs and required exit stairs in residential buildings other than houses need 900 mm (2 ft 11 in).
How much headroom do stairs need in Alberta?
In Alberta, stairs in a house need 1 950 mm (6 ft 5 in) of headroom, measured straight up from a line along the nosings. Under beams and ducts in a secondary suite, 1 850 mm (6 ft 1 in) is allowed, and stairs outside houses need 2 050 mm (6 ft 9 in).
How high does a stair railing have to be in Alberta?
In Alberta, a stair handrail must be 865 mm to 1 070 mm (2 ft 10 in to 3 ft 6 in) high. A guard, the railing at an open side, must be at least 900 mm (2 ft 11 in) inside a home and 1 070 mm (3 ft 6 in) in most other places.
Does every stair need a landing in Alberta?
Almost every stair in Alberta needs a landing at its top and bottom, and wherever a door opens onto it. The main exception in a home is a door at the top of an inside stair that swings away from the stair.
Do basement suite stairs follow different rules in Alberta?
Mostly not: stairs in a house with a secondary suite follow the private-stair limits for rise, run, width and handrails. Headroom can drop to 1 850 mm (6 ft 1 in) under beams and ducts in the suite, and the City of Calgary asks for landings at least 860 mm long.
Sources
- NBC(AE) 2023, Section 9.8 nrc-publications.canada.ca
- Government of Alberta, 2026 alberta.ca
- The City of Calgary, 2026 calgary.ca
