Stair Landing Width And Doors

This stair landings should always be larger than the doorway. This doesn't include the set of stairs going up to the stair landing.

Example: If you have a 36 inch door, your stair landing should be a minimum of 37 (in the direction of the two black arrows). The distance for the stair landing from the finished wall, where the door is located, to the edge of the first riser shall be no smaller than 36 inches.

Remember, this only applies to low occupancy residences. If you have more than 50 occupants, make sure that your minimum stair landing with is 44 inches.

What if I have a set of double doors that are 5 foot wide, with a set of stairs coming up to it? The answer to this one is simple, make sure that the stair landing is a little bit larger than 5 foot.

Here's a Special Tip: It wouldn't be a bad idea to build your landings at least 12 inches larger than your door, if possible. This should provide you with enough room to maneuver around the landing.

The American Disabilities Act has a different set of building codes for a situation like this. You might be required to build a larger landing and install a handicap ramp, if you're building serves the public in any way.