Cal. Civ. Code § 132
Stairs
Operative Text
§ 132. Stairs. Every interior and exterior stair and fire-stair shall be provided with proper balustrades and handrails. Every such stair and fire-stair three feet eight inches or more in width shall be provided with a handrail on each side. Each tread, exclusive of nosing, shall be not less than nine and one-half inches wide; each riser shall not exceed seven and three-quarter inches in height; and the product of the number of inches in the width of the tread and the number of inches in the height of the riser shall be at least seventy and at the most seventy-five. Winding stairs shall be unlawful in any public part of the dwelling.
Under N.Y. Mult. Resid. Law § 132, all interior and exterior stairs and fire-stairs in residential dwellings must be equipped with balustrades and handrails, with handrails required on both sides when a stairway is three feet eight inches or wider. The rule also sets specific dimensional limits for treads and risers, requiring a calculated relationship between their measurements to fall within a defined range. Winding stairs are prohibited in any area of the dwelling that is accessible to the general public.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Property owners and managers subject to N.Y. Mult. Resid. Law § 132 generally ensure that all stairways — interior, exterior, and fire-stairs — are fitted with compliant balustrades and handrails, adding a second handrail on any stairway meeting the width threshold. Compliant operators also verify that tread depths and riser heights conform to the dimensional formula specified in the statute, and they avoid installing winding stairs in any common or public portion of the building. Routine inspections and documentation of stair conditions are practices commonly associated with maintaining compliance under this provision.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
N.Y. Mult. Resid. Law § 132 establishes residents' entitlement to properly equipped, dimensionally compliant stairs in their dwelling, including adequate handrails and balustrades. If a stairway appears to lack required handrails, has irregular tread or riser dimensions, or features winding stairs in a common area, tenants may have grounds to raise a housing maintenance code violation through a local building or housing authority. Tenant-rights organizations can help residents understand how conditions covered by § 132 may be reported or raised as part of a broader housing complaint process.
General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.
Generated September 13, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
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