Stair and Porch Railings in Towson, MD

Rodgers Forge: City-Style Steps in the County

Rodgers Forge, just north of the city line, is red-brick group rowhouses built by the Keelty family from 1934 into the 1950s and listed on the National Register in 2009. Its front steps and stoops look much like Baltimore's, and so do the railing jobs: loose iron posts, missing handrails on steps of four or more risers, and owners who want the rail to match the rest of the group. National Register listing alone does not bring county design review; the Landmarks Preservation Commission reviews only county historic districts and Landmarks-list properties.

Decks on the Detached Streets

Stoneleigh, Anneslie and West Towson are interwar and post-war detached houses, many with rear decks, and that is where deck railing replacement comes in. Baltimore County's permit exemption for decks stops at 16 inches above the lowest grade and 120 square feet, and railing replacement is not on the county's exempt list, so most deck railing work here goes through Permits, Approvals and Inspections in Towson itself. Towson is unincorporated, so there is no town permit office: the county handles everything.

Code Numbers That Apply Here

Baltimore County adopted the 2021 IRC through Bill 49-24, effective September 3, 2024. Its list of amended residential sections does not include the handrail or guard sections, so the model numbers apply as far as we have found: handrails 34 to 38 inches above the nosings, guards over a 30-inch drop, no gap a 4-inch sphere can pass. Check with PAI if your project depends on a specific detail.

What We Do in Towson

Around Loch Raven Village, Wiltondale and the streets near Towson University and Goucher College, the usual calls are front-step railings, loose post repair, interior stair railings, iron matched to a row, deck guards in cable or glass, and handrail upgrades before a listing.

Towson Railing Questions