Flat Roof Parapet Height

Unfortunately many buildings get close to this height without quite meeting the height required by osha to provide fall protection.

Flat roof parapet height. The minimum height of a parapet wall above the roof surface is 30 inches. At the highest point of the sloped roof the parapet is about 10 tall at the lowest point the parapet is about 14 tall. Measuring a flat roof on a typical commercial building with a parapet can be arduous and complicated. Do not lap tpo over top of parapet unless required by unique construction conditions.

The parapet itself is standard wood framing with an applied siding in this case t g 1 4 cedar. The assembly is straight forward but what complicates matters is that the roof needs to be vented. However when a roof slopes down toward an exterior wall and parapet with a slope greater than 2 12 further analysis is required to determine if a taller parapet is necessary. Also there may be several roof penetrations and other obstacles that should be factored into the measurement.

Like any roof with batt. There are several solutions to help you raise the height of your parapet that are cost effective and aesthetically pleasing. In order for a roof parapet to provide adequate fall protection a roof parapet railing should be at least 42 in height. It is used at a single ply roof membrane sloped per foot to a gutter like on the bainbridge residence that we designed and built above.

Height of roofing at wall. The height of the building is calculated to the highest roof element not the parapet or mechanical protrusions vents chase etc. First of all commercial and multi unit residential buildings are a lot bigger than single family homes in most cases. 2015 ibc code commentary.