However, until the 2009 edition, the IRC did not prescriptively specify how the deck ledger should be fastened to the house.
#Nails into the dead 2 code
Additionally, every edition of the International Residential Code (IRC) since 2000 has required that decks be positively anchored to the structure to resist both vertical and lateral loads, and it has long prohibited the use of nails subject to withdrawal as the sole method of attachment. For example, the code design load would anticipate a deck that is 14-ft. Backgroundįor decades, the residential codes have specified an occupant deck live load of 40 pounds-per-square foot (psf), which is about one average-size person occupying a space of 2-ft. A homeowner, developer, building owner, code official, inspector, property manager, or contractor can quickly determine if an elevated deck is supported by a deck ledger that is attached to the house solely by nails-such an installation constitutes a "potentially dangerous" deck. The main objective of this article is to alert property owners and code officials to decks with "nailed-only" deck ledger connections. The deck ledger is the deck floor rim board attached to the house, and it should be positively connected to the floor structure of the main building with bolts or lag screws, not nails. Based on videos, photos, and descriptions in media reports, the data indicates that deck collapses most often result from the failure of deck ledger connections that were constructed with nails instead of properly installed bolts.
and Paul Coats, P.E., C.B.O.ĭata collected for deck failures since 2001 shows that one of the primary reasons for deck collapses is the failure of nail-only connections between the deck and the primary structure. Is Your Deck Safely Connected to Your House? by Frank Woeste, P.E., Loren Ross, P.E. This article originally posted by Frank Woeste and the American Wood Council. This article may be freely copied and distributed in whole or in part with the following acknowledgement: