Failed Deck Footing Inspection

I live in a county that has adopted the 2009 IRC and I was provided the DCA Prescriptive Residential Wood Deck Construction Guide by the Inspections and Permits Office.

I was looking to keep the footers as far from the home as possible so I have a 12' (16' x 16' deck with 2x10 joists) joist span. According to the Deck Construction Guide I am permitted an overhand of 3' (Lj / 4), but the inspector failed my footing holes because they were not within 24" of the house. He told me that 24' OC from the house was code for a free standing deck, and didn't have any idea what I was talking about with respect to the overhang and joist span.

I also submitted my framing plan showing the footings 3', but he said that didn't matter.

Is the 24" really code, I couldn't find it anywhere in the IRC?

 

I'm not sure what the code is but you can add footings to comply. I've had a few jobs correcting footings.

 

I'm sure the 3' refers to a cantilever off the away end of the deck. Code may be different on a freestanding deck vs one with a ledger board. Your permit office usually has a printout of "how to" build a deck specifying framing requirements for various circumstances.

 

Local codes typically have their own "tweaks" to an established standard code that they have adopted. And the local agency's modifications always trump all other provisions, so you better make plans to do what they want if your goal is a code-compliant deck.

 

thanks. The 3' was for the cantilever and valid for free standing. Even though it is "free standing," the county still requires me to attach a ledger to the house. Anyway, I just moved the footings in to comply and did what the inspector wanted. I was just extremely frustrated because I asked for and was provided information from the county building and inspections office, followed them, and then failed because they were not what the inspector said was code.

Wasn't that hard, figured easier to just move then try to argue.

 

How can that be? Free standing means that there is no ledger board.

 

Actually, the IRC Deck Construction Guide requires attachment of free-standing decks to the adjacent structure to provide stability (Figure 23). They call it a rim joist, but attach it to the adjacent wall similar to ledger attachment details, with the exception of using a fixed bolt spacing (16", staggered) instead of varying same dependent on species and board length (Table 5).

 

IRC Deck construction guide.

I believe that the guide has an incorrect picture shown in figure 23.
Figures 21 and 22 show a free standing deck.

A free standing deck is just that.....free standing. No attachment to the house.

 

And so the wording of the first sentence in the second paragraph on Page 15 ("Free-standing Deck--Attachment To House" is incorrect also? Along with the subsequent description of how they prefer it to be attached?

I guess it all depends on your definition of the word "is", or something like that.

 

I'm really baffled. You're right...... it says attaching a free standing deck to the house.
It must be something in the definition of free standing.

 

I have a feeling the problem is the word "deck". It might imply being attached to another structure.

Maybe you could have gone with "stage", "open shed", "detached wall-less sunroom", or "raised planter without dirt".

 

Thanks Mike......you just made my day