/ Field knowledge · IMC 304.10–304.11
A parapet you never measured is not 304.11.
A portable ladder is how you get up. IMC 304.11 is what keeps you from walking off the edge once you are there. If service points or roof hatches sit within 10 ft of an edge with a drop over 30 in, provide guards 42 in high, blocking a 21-in sphere, extending 30 in past each end, and meeting International Building Code (IBC) loads. A parapet that was never checked is not a guard. Distinct from 306.5 fixed access.
Educational 2024 IMC 304.10–304.12 from Daily Code Talk (same post as 304.6). Confirm the adopted edition. This is not a guardrail design and not a pad design. Daily Code Talk does not publish an IBC load number here — so this page does not either. Put “IBC loads” on the note and coordinate with structural. Packet: 304.11 PDF · ES.
- 304.11 roof / edge guards: trigger is service point or hatch within 10 ft of an edge, drop over 30 in. Guard: 42 in high, 21-in sphere, 30 in past each end, IBC loads.
- 306.5 is the ladder and the receptacle. 304.11 is the edge. You can have a legal way up and still have no guard at the unit.
- 304.10 at grade: support on a level slab 3 in above adjacent grade, or suspend 6 in above grade. A unit sitting in the dirt is the comment. A pad flush with the lawn is not +3 in.
- 304.12: permanently mark appliances that serve areas beyond the room they sit in (unique ID + area served).
On the set: dimension 10 ft to the edge, show the 42-in guard extent 30 in past the equipment, note IBC loads, and annotate pad elevation +3 in (or +6 in suspended). Attachment is structural.
An RTU 6 ft from a 4-ft drop, no guard, pad flush with the roof pavers
Or a condensing unit on grade in the soil. 306.5 does not excuse 304.11. A 12-in curb is not a 42-in guard.
Source: Daily Code Talk — IMC 304 Part 3 · tool: 10 ft / 42 in screen · access: 306.5 · garage mount: 304.6 · 308: clearance reduction.
What to send
How far the service side or hatch sits from the roof edge, the drop height if you know it, and whether the grade unit is on a pad (and how high that pad sits above adjacent grade).
If the unit is within 10 ft of the edge and the only “guard” is the parapet
Send the roof plan and a photo of the edge. Masterbuild will say whether 304.11 still has no 42-in guard 30 in past the unit — or 304.10 still has a condensing unit in the dirt.
Send Project Background+1 (786) 398-6940 · osmany.portal@masterbuildconsulting.com
Masterbuild provides engineering services under a written scope. Nothing on this page is project-specific engineering advice, a code interpretation for your project, a guardrail design, a pad design, or a representation about permit approval. Confirm the adopted edition. Guards 42 in high, 21-in sphere, 30 in past each end, within 10 ft of an edge with a drop over 30 in, IBC loads, a level slab 3 in above adjacent grade (or 6 in suspended), and area-served marking are 2024 IMC 304.10–304.12 education from Daily Code Talk. Fixed roof access is 306.5. This page is not legal advice.