Staircase building regulations: Scotland

Scotland has its own building standards, set out in the Domestic Technical Handbook rather than England's Approved Document K. The stair rules live in Section 4 (Safety). Several figures differ from the rest of the UK, and they are the classic trap: a stair drawn to English numbers can be non-compliant north of the border even though it looks fine.

The figures that differ from England

Three catch people most. The minimum going on a private stair is 225mm, not the 220mm used in England and Northern Ireland. The handrail and the flight guarding are set at 840mm, not 900mm. And there is a minimum rise of 100mm, where England sets none. As elsewhere, twice the rise plus the going should be between 550 and 700mm, and the maximum rise and minimum going cannot be used together without breaking the 42 degree pitch limit. Scotland also names a second category, "any other stair" (including the common areas of flats), with a shallower maximum rise of 170mm, a minimum going of 250mm and a 34 degree pitch.

Widths, risers, stairlifts and landings

A private stair is at least 900mm wide, or 800mm if a continuous handrail is fitted to both sides, or 600mm where it only serves one room or sanitary space. A flight has no more than 16 risers and no fewer than 3. Where a stairlift may be needed in future, an area at least 700mm long and 400mm deep must be kept clear beside the bottom riser, with a further 200mm at the top (clause 4.2.8). A landing at the top and bottom of each flight must be at least as wide as the stair, with a minimum length of 1.2m or the stair width, whichever is less. For the four nations side by side, see our guide to UK staircase building regulations.