TL;DR
A deck ledger bolt is the structural fastener, a half-inch lag screw, through-bolt, or engineered structural screw, that anchors a deck's ledger board to the house band joist according to the spacing schedule in IRC R507.9. The code table staggers fasteners in two rows at intervals tied to joist span, and every bolt must pass through sheathing into solid framing, never just siding or stucco.
What it means
A deck ledger bolt is the structural fastener, a half-inch lag screw, through-bolt, or engineered structural screw, that anchors a deck's ledger board to the house band joist according to the spacing schedule in IRC R507.9. The code table staggers fasteners in two rows at intervals tied to joist span, and every bolt must pass through sheathing into solid framing, never just siding or stucco. Decks attached with nails alone are the signature cause of catastrophic deck collapses, which is why an inspector checks fastener type and pattern before anything else.
Where it sits in the glossary
Deck ledger bolt is part of the Trade jargon group inside the ProFix Directory glossary. Browse every term in this category from the glossary index.
Why Ohio homeowners should know it
This is a term Ohio homeowners encounter when reading contractor quotes, hiring paperwork, or inspection reports. Understanding it well enough to ask one good follow-up question is usually all the protection a homeowner needs.
ProFix Directory keeps definitions short on the index page and saves the longer context — Ohio-specific rules, where the term comes from, and which ProFix tools touch it — for these per-term pages so the term is easy to cite and easy to share.
ProFix tools that touch this term
See also
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