TL;DR
Riser height is the vertical distance from one stair tread surface to the next, capped by the IRC at 7 3/4 inches for residential stairs, with no two risers in a flight allowed to differ by more than 3/8 inch. The uniformity rule exists because feet memorize the rhythm of a stair within a few steps; a single odd riser is a documented trip hazard.
What it means
Riser height is the vertical distance from one stair tread surface to the next, capped by the IRC at 7 3/4 inches for residential stairs, with no two risers in a flight allowed to differ by more than 3/8 inch. The uniformity rule exists because feet memorize the rhythm of a stair within a few steps; a single odd riser is a documented trip hazard. Deck builders calculate the height by dividing total rise into equal parts, and the bottom step—often miscounted against finished grade—is where inspections fail.
Where it sits in the glossary
Riser height 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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