Under the Deemed-to-Satisfy Provisions in Part 11.3 of the NCC 2022 Housing Provisions, a balustrade (the NCC calls it a barrier) is needed along a trafficable surface where it is possible to fall 1 m or more, with exceptions in clause 11.3.3(2) for certain retaining walls and for openable windows. It must be not less than 865 mm above stair nosings or a ramp floor; not less than 1 m above a landing, corridor, balcony, deck, verandah or the like; and not less than 865 mm along the inside edge of a stair or ramp landing where that barrier is no longer than 500 mm. Where clause 11.3.5 requires a stair handrail, its top surface must be not less than 865 mm above the nosings; clause 11.3.5(2) lists exceptions. This note quotes NCC 2022 (the ABCB Housing Provisions Standard 2022 and Volume Two) and sets out what Part 11.3 says about barriers and handrails, other than its window clauses.
What sets balustrade requirements in Australia for a house?
NCC 2022 Volume Two states the Performance Requirement. H5P2(1) requires a barrier where people could fall 1 m or more “from a floor or roof or through an opening (other than through an openable window) in the external wall” or “due to a sudden change of level within or associated with a building”. H5P2(2) requires that barrier to be continuous for the full extent of the hazard, of a height to protect people from accidentally falling, constructed to prevent people falling through it, “capable of restricting the passage of children”, and of strength and rigidity to withstand the foreseeable impact of people and, where appropriate, the static pressure of people pressing against it.
Clause H5D3 provides that compliance with Part 11.3 of the ABCB Housing Provisions satisfies H5P2 for barriers and H5P1(b)(i) for handrails. The figures in this note are the Deemed-to-Satisfy figures; a Performance Solution is a different route to the same Performance Requirements, and is assessed by the relevant authority assessing the building work. For wire barriers, Volume Two also provides a verification method, H5V1.
The NCC’s word is “barrier”. “Balustrade” appears in the clauses of Part 11.3 only in clause 11.3.4(4), which covers “openings in barriers (including decorative balustrades)”; the legend to Figure 11.3.2 lists “Baluster” among the stairway and barrier members.
The South Australian schedule to Volume Two inserts SA H5O2, SA H5F2, SA H5P3 and SA H5D4 on space between buildings, and replaces H5D1(1) to refer to them; it does not vary H5P1, H5P2, H5D2 or H5D3. The South Australian variations listed on the ABCB’s Housing Provisions index, read on 27 October 2026, are to Parts 4.2, 9.2, 10.2 and 13.1, so Part 11.3 is not among them. The ABCB records that NCC 2025 was published on 1 May 2026 and lists South Australia as “BCA: 1 May 2027 / PCA: 1 May 2026”; which edition applies to a particular application is for the relevant authority or building certifier to confirm.
When is a balustrade required? The 1 m rule in 11.3.3
Clause 11.3.3(1) requires a continuous barrier along the side of a trafficable surface, such as a stairway, ramp or the like; a floor, corridor, hallway, balcony, deck, verandah, mezzanine, access bridge or the like; a roof top space to which general access is provided; and any delineated path of access to a building, “where it is possible to fall 1 m or more measured from the level of the trafficable surface to the surface beneath”.
Clause 11.3.3(2) lists two exceptions. The first is a retaining wall, unless it forms part of, or is directly associated with, a delineated path of access to a building from the road or between buildings. The second is a barrier to an openable window, which is covered by clauses 11.3.7 and 11.3.8 instead.
Balustrade height under the NCC: 865 mm and 1 m
Clause 11.3.4(2) sets the heights. Along a stair or ramp, the height “must not be less than 865 mm above the nosings of the stair treads, the floor of a ramp or the like”. Elsewhere, it must not be less than “1 m above the floor of any landing, corridor, hallway, balcony, deck, verandah, access path, mezzanine, access bridge, roof top space or the like to which general access is provided”.
There is one shorter case at a landing. The height may be 865 mm “above the floor of a landing to a stairway or ramp where the barrier is provided along the inside edge of the landing and does not exceed a length of 500 mm”. Clause 11.3.4(3) allows a transition zone where the height changes from 865 mm on the flight to 1 m at the landing, as shown in Figure 11.3.4b.
Barriers to openable windows have their own height: clauses 11.3.7(3) and 11.3.8(2) each set a barrier not less than 865 mm above the floor, covered in the window note.
Gaps in a balustrade: the 125 mm sphere and the 40 mm edge gap
Clause 11.3.4(4) requires openings in barriers, including decorative balustrades, to be constructed so that they “do not permit a 125 mm sphere to pass through it”; on a stairway, the opening is measured above the nosing line of the treads.
Clause 11.3.4(5) deals with a barrier fixed to the vertical face at the edge of a landing, balcony, deck, stairway or the like: the opening between the barrier and that face “must not exceed 40 mm”. Clause 11.3.4(6) measures it horizontally from the edge of the trafficable surface to the nearest internal face of the barrier.
For a stairway serving a non-habitable room such as an attic or storeroom not used on a regular or daily basis, clause 11.3.4(7) allows openings that do not permit a 300 mm sphere, or a top rail and an intermediate rail with openings between rails of not more than 460 mm.
Horizontal rails, glass and wire balustrades
Clause 11.3.4(8) restricts horizontal elements: “Where it is possible to fall more than 4 m, any horizontal elements within the barrier between 150 mm and 760 mm above the floor must not facilitate climbing.” The 4 m is measured from the floor level of the trafficable surface to the surface beneath. The explanatory information states that, for a window forming part of a barrier, a sill, transom or rail between 150 mm and 760 mm above the floor “is deemed to facilitate climbing”.
Clause 11.3.4(10) provides that “a glass barrier or window serving as a barrier must comply with H1D8 and the relevant provisions of this Part”. H1D8 is the Volume Two glazing clause; this note does not describe the glazing standards it calls up. Clause 11.3.4(11) requires a barrier, other than a window serving as a barrier, to be designed to take loading forces in accordance with AS/NZS 1170.1.
Clause 11.3.4(9) deems a wire barrier to meet the 125 mm rule if it is built in accordance with clause 11.3.6, which sets wire diameters, spacings and minimum tensions or maximum deflections in Tables 11.3.6a to 11.3.6c. The explanatory information to 11.3.6 states that it is “only one form of compliance solution”, alongside verification method H5V1 and a Performance Solution.
Handrail height for stairs and when a handrail is needed
Clause 11.3.5(1) requires handrails to a stairway or ramp to be located along at least one side of the flight or ramp and along its full length, except that a handrail associated with a barrier may terminate where the barrier terminates. The top surface must be “not less than 865 mm vertically above the nosings of the stair treads or the floor surface of the ramp”, and the handrail must be continuous, with no obstruction on or above it that will tend to break a handhold, “except for newel posts, ball type stanchions, or the like”.
Clause 11.3.5(2) provides that these requirements do not apply to a stairway or ramp providing a change in elevation of less than 1 m, to a landing, or to a winder where a newel post is installed to provide a handhold.
The explanatory information states that the top rail of a barrier “may be suitable as a handrail if it meets 11.3.5 and is able to be grasped by hand to provide support to the person using the stairway or ramp”. Riser, going and landing dimensions for the stair itself are in Part 11.2.
Common Questions
What is the minimum balustrade height in the NCC?
Clause 11.3.4(2) of the NCC 2022 Housing Provisions sets a barrier height of not less than 865 mm above the nosings of stair treads or the floor of a ramp, and not less than 1 m above the floor of a landing, corridor, hallway, balcony, deck, verandah or similar. A barrier of up to 500 mm along the inside edge of a stair or ramp landing may be 865 mm. These are Deemed-to-Satisfy figures.
When does a deck or balcony need a balustrade?
The Deemed-to-Satisfy clause 11.3.3(1) of the NCC 2022 Housing Provisions requires a continuous barrier along the side of a balcony, deck, floor, stairway or similar trafficable surface where it is possible to fall 1 m or more, measured from the level of the trafficable surface to the surface beneath. Clause 11.3.3(2) excludes certain retaining walls and the barriers to openable windows covered by clauses 11.3.7 and 11.3.8.
What is the handrail height for stairs in Australia?
The Deemed-to-Satisfy clause 11.3.5(1) of the NCC 2022 Housing Provisions requires the top surface of a stair handrail to be not less than 865 mm vertically above the nosings of the stair treads, along at least one side and the full length of the flight, except that a handrail associated with a barrier may terminate where the barrier terminates. Clause 11.3.5(2) does not apply this to a stairway with a change in elevation of less than 1 m, to a landing, or to a winder with a newel post providing a handhold.
How big can gaps in a balustrade be?
The Deemed-to-Satisfy clause 11.3.4(4) of the NCC 2022 Housing Provisions requires barrier openings, including decorative balustrades, not to permit a 125 mm sphere to pass through, measured above the nosing line on a stairway. Clause 11.3.4(5) limits the opening between a barrier and the vertical face it is fixed to at the edge of a landing, balcony, deck or stairway to 40 mm. For a stairway serving a non-habitable room not used on a regular or daily basis, clause 11.3.4(7) instead allows openings that do not permit a 300 mm sphere to pass through, or a top rail and an intermediate rail with openings between rails of not more than 460 mm, and clause 11.3.4(9) deems a wire barrier built to clause 11.3.6 to meet the 125 mm rule.
Are horizontal balustrade rails allowed?
The Deemed-to-Satisfy clause 11.3.4(8) of the NCC 2022 Housing Provisions provides that, where it is possible to fall more than 4 m, horizontal elements within a barrier between 150 mm and 760 mm above the floor must not facilitate climbing. Where the possible fall is 4 m or less, that clause does not apply, and the 125 mm sphere rule in clause 11.3.4(4) still does. Barriers to openable windows under clauses 11.3.7(4) and 11.3.8(3) must not have climbable horizontal or near horizontal elements between 150 mm and 760 mm above the floor, with no 4 m condition.
Does South Australia change the balustrade rules?
The South Australian variations to the NCC 2022 Housing Provisions listed on the ABCB index are to Parts 4.2, 9.2, 10.2 and 13.1, not Part 11.3. The South Australian schedule to Volume Two Part H5 inserts SA H5O2, SA H5F2, SA H5P3 and SA H5D4 on space between buildings and replaces H5D1(1) to refer to them; it does not vary H5P1, H5P2, H5D2 or H5D3. Which NCC edition applies to a particular application is for the relevant authority or building certifier to confirm.
Sources
- NCC 2022 ABCB Housing Provisions — Part 11.3 Barriers and handrails, clauses 11.3.1 to 11.3.6Accessed 2026-10-27
- NCC 2022 ABCB Housing Provisions — Part 11.1 Scope and application of Section 11Accessed 2026-10-27
- NCC 2022 ABCB Housing Provisions — Schedule 8 South Australia (variations index)Accessed 2026-10-27
- NCC 2022 Volume Two — Part H5 Safe movement and access (H5P1, H5P2, H5V1, H5D1, H5D3)Accessed 2026-10-27
- NCC 2022 Volume Two — Schedule 8 South Australia, Part H5 (SA H5O2, SA H5F2, SA H5P3, SA H5D1, SA H5D4)Accessed 2026-10-27
- ABCB — NCC 2025 state and territory adoption informationAccessed 2026-10-27
This page describes legislation as it stood on the access dates above. It is not legal advice about any particular property.
Planning a rebuild or new build in Adelaide? Start with a free initial consultation.