deck stability?

I have an older raised deck @ 8 ft above grade. It looks to be 8-10 years old. The supports are 4X4 posts sunk to code below frostline. It has sections of 8 ft dog-ear fencing around the base that I want to remove. These sections are tied into the posts by nails. How much stability do these lend to the structure and can I remove them and retain the current level of safety with load?

 

Is the deck attached to the house by a ledger or is it a free-standing deck?

Just because the footings are below the code depth (minimum standard for frost) does not mean they provide any appreciable lateral strength. That is the problem if the previous owner just followed the minimum standard code and did not have a professional design.

Removing the fencing should not affect the vertical load capacity (if the people on the deck do not move), but could have some sort of effect on the lateral stability.

When you remove the fencing, you may experience some loss of lateral stability. If this is the case, you can provide some additional stability by adding diagonal braces between the post and the upper deck structure.

Without seeing what you have, it is hard to be more specific.

Dick