Roof Parapet Height Requirements

There are several solutions to help you raise the height of your parapet that are cost effective and aesthetically pleasing.

Roof parapet height requirements.

In order for a roof parapet to provide adequate fall protection a roof parapet railing should be at least 42 in height. Under the current code parapet walls at main roofs must maintain a minimum height of 42 above the finished roof membrane system or pedestrian surface. In the old days london tended to keep burning down and that tended to irritate the folks who lived in london. So projecting wooden eaves were banned in the building act of 1707 as a fire risk.

Simply having a roof parapet does not guarantee that adequate fall protection is in place. Parapet corrective work must be performed in conjunction with the installation of tension roof anchors. Where building parapet heights exceed 42 inches special provisions shall be employed to provide a safe means of access to the top of the parapet for rigging purposes if such access is necessary to the safe performance of the work. If a reinforced concrete beam is provided at the top of the wall the minimum height above the wall anchor may be 6 inches 152 mm.

Code compliant buildings from 70 100 years are subject to updates when there is a requirement for replacement. The height of the parapet shall be not less than 30 inches 762 mm above the point where the roof surface and the wall intersect. Unfortunately many buildings get close to this height without quite meeting the height required by osha to provide fall protection. The most common parapet wall construction in the city is brick masonry.

If a parapet wall is a minimum of 30 high and the height plus the width of the wall is a least 48 then it was determined that the fall hazard was removed and this was a compliant method to protect construction employees. No individual building façade can exceed 40 feet in height measured from the existing grade at the base of the building wall to the ridge of a pitched roof or top of a flat roof. The minimum height of a parapet above any wall anchor shall be 12 inches 305 mm.