Charles, I could not help but notice, and I did the other day too, but the top plate on the hand rail does not conform to acceptable trade standards. It is too wide to be grasped. Most contractors will install a smaller 'graspable' handrail on the inside. Any stairway more than 30" tall or over 3 treads has to have a 'graspable' handrail... Damn inspectors always catching something, right...

Your friend in Nashville...

Charles, I came back to check to see if you had posted anything on my response, and I did not see any so either it was deleted or the AR gods messed up. To answer your question, wide top plates as pictured are not acceptable as they are not 'graspable' by the average sized hand. This is in the National IRC codes. However, local governments have their interpretation of what they will accept and what they will not. In this area, the hand rail as shown is not accepted and needs to be corrected. I hope this helps. Give me a call if you need more information...

Charles, Just the stairs. FYI... I typically see a small hand rail run along side the bottom top plate made out of 2x2 material that is used for the handrail...