How high can a deck be without a railing in Ohio?

The Residential Code of Ohio requires a 36 inch high guardrail be provided on all decks where the grade is more than 30 inches to the deck surface when measured 3 feet out from the edge of the deck. The guardrail shall be provided along the edge of the deck surface and or perimeter fixed seating.

The City of Columbus and the other cities and counties in the Central Ohio will all follow these requirements.

See the following image for how to measure 30 inches from the deck surface to the ground.

In order to build a deck without a railing you will need to build a “ground level deck”, also called a “floating deck” or “platform deck”. See the following image for an example of a floating deck.

If you property might be suited for this type of deck contact a deck builder in Columbus Ohio to get started.