Fall Protection Regulations

Fall Protection Distributors

Fall Protection Rules for Every State. One Resource.

OSHA sets the national floor, but 22 states run their own plans and many demand more. We put the federal standards, every state's rules, agency contacts, penalties, and even major-city requirements in one place, then help you generate a compliant plan.

Or explore the federal OSHA baseline below, then drill into any state.

Search the full OSHA regulations ›

Construction worker in a safety harness and hard hat installing fall protection on a jobsite

State-by-state rules

Trigger heights, equipment, and roofing methods for all 50 states with citations.

Contacts & penalties

Agency offices, reporting lines, free consultation numbers, and fine schedules.

Major-city rules

Extra requirements in cities like NYC, where the rules go well beyond OSHA.

Generate a plan

Turn the rules into a printable, state-stamped OSHA fall protection plan.

Start here

The federal OSHA baseline

These are the national minimum trigger heights. They apply everywhere unless your state sets a stricter rule, which many do. This is the floor, not the ceiling.

Fall protection is required at these heights

29 CFR 1926 & 1910

4 ft
General industry
1910.28
6 ft
Construction
1926.501
5 ft
Shipyards
1915
8 ft
Longshoring
1918
Anchorage rated 5,000 lb / worker Guardrails at 42 inches Personal fall arrest to ANSI Z359 Prompt rescue plan Training by a competent person

Your state may require more, lower trigger heights, documented inspections, extra programs.

See your state's rules ›
Free. No paywall. The exact legal text.

Search the federal fall protection regulations

Every paragraph of OSHA 29 CFR 1926 Subpart M (1926.500 through 1926.503) is loaded on this page, word for word from the Federal Register. Ask a question in plain English, type a keyword, or tap a scenario below. You get a plain-English answer plus the exact rule, with its citation, in seconds.

Verified verbatim against the eCFR · current through July 6, 2026
roofskylightguardrailanchoragewarning linesafety monitortrainingresidentialleading edgerescue
Ask a question, plain English is fine At what height does OSHA require fall protection in construction?Do I need fall protection on a residential roof?Is a skylight considered a hole?What does OSHA require for an anchor point?Is a warning line by itself enough on a flat roof?Do I have to tie off in a boom lift or scissor lift?Do I need written proof of fall protection training?How often do harnesses and lanyards have to be inspected?

Find the rule for your situation

Every duty in 1926.501, one tap each

Unprotected sides and edges

Any walking or working surface with an edge 6 ft or more above a lower level.

1926.501(b)(1)

Low-slope roofs

Roofing work on slopes 4:12 or less, including warning line and safety monitor combos.

1926.501(b)(10)

Steep roofs

Any roof steeper than 4:12. Guardrails with toeboards, nets, or personal fall arrest.

1926.501(b)(11)

Holes and skylights

Covers, guardrails, or fall arrest over every hole, including every skylight.

1926.501(b)(4)

Residential construction

The 6 ft rule for home building, and what a written fall protection plan requires.

1926.501(b)(13)

Leading edge work

Building the edge itself: decking, precast, and the controlled access zone rules.

1926.501(b)(2)

Personal fall arrest systems

Harnesses, lanyards, SRLs, 5,000 lb anchorages, free fall and clearance limits.

1926.502(d)

Guardrail systems

42 inch top rails, midrails, 200 lb strength, flagged lines, and gate rules.

1926.502(b)

Warning line systems

Line height, flag spacing, stanchion strength, and the 6 ft / 10 ft setbacks.

1926.502(f)

Safety monitoring systems

When a monitor alone is legal, and the five duties the monitor must perform.

1926.502(h)

Hole covers

Twice the expected load, secured against displacement, marked HOLE or COVER.

1926.502(i)

Training requirements

Who must be trained, by whom, the written certification record, and retraining.

1926.503

Hoist areas

Guardrails or fall arrest where materials come up over the edge.

1926.501(b)(3)

Excavations, wells, and pits

Guardrails, fences, barricades, or covers at the edge of excavations.

1926.501(b)(7)

Fall protection plans

The only legal alternative when conventional protection is infeasible.

1926.502(k)

The numbers worth quoting

Cite them anywhere, link this page as the source

15 years
1926.501 has been OSHA's most cited standard every fiscal year since 2011.
OSHA Top 10, FY2025
5,914
fall protection citations issued in FY2025, more than double any other standard.
OSHA Top 10, FY2025
370
construction and extraction workers killed by falls, slips, and trips in 2024.
BLS CFOI, 2024
6 ft
the height that triggers the fall protection duty on a construction site.
29 CFR 1926.501(b)(1)
5,000 lb
minimum anchorage strength per attached worker, unless engineered at 2:1.
29 CFR 1926.502(d)(15)
Citing this resource? Copy and paste: Fall Protection Regulation Hub, Fall Protection Distributors, LLC. Verbatim OSHA 29 CFR 1926 Subpart M via the eCFR, current through July 6, 2026. standingseamroofanchor.com

Know the rule? Now check your numbers.

Run the Fall Clearance Calculator

Fall protection regulation questions, answered

At what height does OSHA require fall protection in construction?
Six feet above a lower level, under 29 CFR 1926.501(b)(1). General industry workplaces trigger at 4 feet under 1910.28, shipyards at 5 feet, and longshoring at 8 feet. Two common construction exceptions: scaffolds trigger at 10 feet under Subpart L, and fixed ladders require protection when the climb reaches 24 feet. Working above dangerous equipment requires protection at any height.
Is there a rule that lets me skip fall protection if I stay 6 feet from the edge?
No. Federal OSHA has no safe-distance exemption for construction work. Six feet is the height that triggers the duty, not a buffer zone on the roof. The closest thing in the standard is the warning line system for low-slope roofing work under 1926.502(f), which must be rigged at least 6 feet from the edge (10 feet when mechanical equipment is in use) and only works in the specific combinations 1926.501(b)(10) allows.
Do I need fall protection on a residential roof?
Yes. Under 1926.501(b)(13), anyone doing residential construction 6 feet or more above a lower level needs guardrails, safety nets, or a personal fall arrest system. If the employer can demonstrate those are infeasible or create a greater hazard, the only alternative is a written, site-specific fall protection plan that meets every requirement of 1926.502(k), which includes a qualified person preparing it and a competent person supervising it.
What does OSHA require for an anchor point?
An anchorage for personal fall arrest must support at least 5,000 pounds per worker attached, or be designed, installed, and used under the supervision of a qualified person as part of a complete system that maintains a safety factor of at least two. That is 1926.502(d)(15). Anchorages must also be independent of any anchorage used to support or suspend platforms.
How high does a guardrail have to be?
The top rail must be 42 inches above the walking or working level, plus or minus 3 inches, and it must withstand 200 pounds of outward or downward force under 1926.502(b). Midrails go at 21 inches and must take 150 pounds. When guardrails protect a hole, they go on all unprotected sides, and any gate or removable section has its own rules in the same paragraph.
What is the difference between a competent person and a qualified person?
A competent person can identify existing and predictable hazards and has the employer's authority to promptly correct them, which includes stopping work. A qualified person has a degree, certificate, or extensive experience that lets them solve problems relating to the work, such as engineering an anchorage below 5,000 pounds. Subpart M assigns specific duties to each: for example, training under 1926.503 requires a competent person, and a fall protection plan under 1926.502(k) must be prepared by a qualified person.
Are the ANSI Z359 standards part of these regulations?
Not directly. OSHA regulations are federal law and free to read; ANSI Z359 is a voluntary consensus standard that manufacturers certify equipment against, and its text is copyrighted. OSHA can cite ANSI practices through the General Duty Clause, and most equipment you buy today, which includes everything we stock, is built to current Z359 requirements. Where an ANSI requirement matters to a product, we summarize it in plain language on the product page and in the manufacturer test reports we host.
About this text: the regulation paragraphs in the search tool above are reproduced verbatim from 29 CFR Part 1926 Subpart M as published in the Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, current through July 6, 2026. United States regulations are public domain. This page is an educational reference provided by Fall Protection Distributors, LLC and is not legal advice; always confirm requirements with the current CFR text and your state plan.
By the numbers

Why these rules exist

Falls are the number one cause of death in construction. These are the national figures behind every requirement on this page.

#1
Leading cause of death in construction
370
Construction workers killed by falls, slips & trips in 2024
39%
Share of construction deaths caused by falls (2023)
844
U.S. workers killed by falls, slips & trips in 2024, all industries

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI), 2024. Each state page carries its own state-level fall-fatality figure.

Know the difference

Fall restraint vs. fall arrest

Restraint keeps you from reaching the edge, so no fall can occur. Arrest lets a fall happen, then stops it, which means you must have enough clearance below you. Our calculator runs this exact math for your setup.

Fall restraint vs fall arrest infographic: fall clearance breakdown of free fall, deceleration, harness stretch, D-ring slide-up, and safety factor totaling the required clearance below the anchorRead the full guide: Fall Restraint vs. Fall Arrest ›
Go deeper

Select your state

Get the specific trigger heights, equipment and roofing rules, agency contacts, penalties, city requirements, and a link to the full state guide.

or tap your state below
Full guide ready   All 50 states have full guides
Fall Protection Distributors, LLC is an equipment distributor, not a compliance or legal authority. Information here is general reference, not legal or safety advice. Always confirm current requirements with OSHA or your state plan before beginning work.

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