Bleacher Side & Back Railing Safety: Code Requirements Explained

INTRO | STAIRS | RISERS & FOOTBOARDS | SIDE & BACK RAILINGS | SAFETY CHECKLIST

Bleachers continue to be an important part of our community events and a great way to seat large crowds around a central show. But have we given enough thought to the safety of those bleachers?

I run into a lot of event organizers who believe: “If it ain’t broke, then why fix it.” That may be fine for some things, but it isn’t the right approach when it comes to keeping your guests safe on bleachers. Preventative maintenance and regular code reviews are a far better approach — both for your guests’ safety and your own liability protection. If a back or side railing breaks at height, it may already be too late.

In December 1999, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission released a formal recommendation regarding bleachers and grandstands, made in direct response to tens of thousands of serious injuries and deaths caused by falls from bleachers. The majority of victims were children between the ages of 2 and 10. Most of these falls were the result of missing or inadequate side and back rails.

(Full report: https://www.cpsc.gov/s3fs-public/330.pdf)

When I was researching what it would take to start a bleacher rental company, I reviewed over 200 fairs, festivals, and rural events. I wanted to know three things:

1. What were events currently renting? Could I rent that same equipment for my own event?
2. How much were they paying?
3. Were they happy with what they had — and how could it be better?

Here’s what I found:

1. 98 out of 100 events in Ontario were using bleachers that didn’t meet current building code.
2. A building permit was not required in most cases — either because bleachers were “grandfathered in” when the first codes were created around 2002, or because mobile bleachers fell through a permitting loophole.
3. The bleachers that were grandfathered in are now over 20 years old. In many cases, they were built by a local service club or volunteer group — not engineered, and not designed with specific load restrictions.

This raised serious questions: why would we have a building code and not enforce it on mobile bleachers? Thousands of people sit on these structures every year, yet many don’t require engineered drawings or annual structural reviews.

Most older bleachers were built with horizontal side and back rails with large gaps between them. Here’s why:

1. Horizontal rails are significantly cheaper and easier to build
2. Many of these bleachers were constructed before 2000 and have never been updated
3. Building permits were not obtained, or safety components were overlooked
4. The Ontario Building Code for outdoor bleachers still permits horizontal rails in some situations

That last point is worth highlighting: the Ontario Building Code allows horizontal rails on outdoor bleachers — even at heights of 8 feet or more — while requiring vertical rails on a residential deck that’s just 2 feet high. Vertical rails are mandatory under the full International Building Code requirements and, in our view, are essential for any safe bleacher regardless of what local code permits.

Whether you own your bleachers or rent them, always confirm that your railings meet building code before your event opens. Look specifically for:

• Side rails present on all sections over 30″ above the ground
• Rail height of at least 42″
• Vertical spindles only — no horizontal rails with wide gaps
• No openings larger than 4″ anywhere on side or back rails
• Rails that are structurally sound and engineered for lateral load

Is the risk of injury to your guests — and potential lawsuits — worth it? Or would you sleep better knowing your bleachers have safe, code-compliant rails?

👉 Download our free Bleacher Safety Checklist to walk through a full IBC inspection of your bleachers.