The lower deck is 2 feet high so apparently you don't need handrails or guards on those stairs. I know that if it is icy in winter then I wish I would have put handrails/ guardrails on. However I will post pics later so u monday morning quarterbacks can have your say.....again. Thanks for your input and humor!

3 risers or 30" calls for handrails. If the distance from the top of the deck to the patio is 24', you should be able to make three 8" risers work (with handrails).

BUT when should code exist? If you are connected to the electric grid I expect you to meet minimum standards so you don,t do something stupid which affects someone else. (Something like connect a generator during a power failure and electrocute a lineman because you didn,t have permission or appropriate disconnects).
Ever seen wiring in Mexico? They live in concrete houses for a reason.

Don,t connect to the public water system without meeting minimum code to stop you from affecting the safety of others. Things like a vacuum breaker to prevent back flow into the system from your pool or ?
Don,t connect to the sewer system either.
Leave things like the unsafe stairs and keep everyone off your property.
Don,t expect reasonable insurance rates either .You want to opt out so self insure.
Some states require tradespeople to be licensed as well as having a permit for any changes to the structure.this might seem onerous and interferring but it is Not usually a problem meeting minimum code.
Too many people watch a TV show and pick up a hammer and think thats it.

What about resale Leave your defects behind because they were good enough for you??

I'll have to check IRC 2009 on the 7" part, doing my first IBC job right now. General good practice says exterior steps have less riser height and longer thread depth than interior stairs.

True that.

The top step of less than 4" and not matching the other rises is very dangerous.

Code or no code. That is not the question.

Properly built stairs are safe and feel natural when walking on them. Handrails make sense as children, the elderly and intoxicated folks need all the help they can get.

You should be able to walk across the deck holding a large platter of brats, wings and ribs in one hand, your cocktail in the other, without the fear of stumbling down the stairs and having to spend the next half hour picking dirt and grass clippings out of your delicious, well prepared meal.

So, many Mondays have passed for us quarterbacks! Any updates before it is under the snow or will you at least tell us the actual code violation? You only told us it wasn't the lack of a hand rail. ;)

G

Okay you monday morning quarterbacks and stepbrothers. There is more to life than steps but I am almost done. I did them myself. I have until the end of August to complete them. What I have done is tilted the middle one to get the height right between each step. Allowable deviation is .25 inches.
The other two I have cut two inches off each stringer and drilled new holes and made the height between the steps the same. I have added two vertical rails to the handrails so some idiot kid cannot stick his head in there. There are no pics.
I am putting a 3 foot platform under the steps where the height of the deck is over 2 feet.

That is self-dealing b.s and a patent monopoly, but the Simpson hardware does work. Wood ends should rest on something and tow-nailing only shreds the ends which bear the weight and rot first.

The Japanese used to build with cedar without nails using mortise and tenon.

This keeps people from slipping on ice, falling forward, and snapping both legs in two. A good code, IMO.

Can you get away with not having a proper footing?