What does an inspector note about lighting at an interior stairway?

Stairway lighting is a safety system and the control location is what makes it one. A user approaching a stair from either end must be able to light the flight before stepping onto it, which requires a switch at each level the stairway serves — a three-way arrangement. A single switch at one end means anyone approaching from the other end travels the stairs in darkness to reach it, which is the exact condition in which treads are misjudged. So the inspector's check is not simply that a fixture exists and works, but that it can be operated from both ends of the flight. Fixture type, lamp wattage and damp-location rating are all real considerations elsewhere and none of them addresses whether the stair can be lit before use.

A stairway should be lit before it is used from either direction, which requires switching at each end. Checking that the stairs can be lit from either end is what confirms the safety function.

Interior stairways are expected to be illuminated with lighting controllable from each floor level the stairway serves, so no one has to traverse the stairs in darkness to reach a switch.

Light It From Both Ends. A fixture that works is not enough if the switch is only at the bottom.

Check the full stairway set together: lighting and its switching, handrail continuity and returns, riser and tread uniformity, and guards. All are commonly tested.

• •Confirming the fixture works without checking switch locations
• •Applying damp-location or wattage rules to an interior stair
• •Accepting a timer as equivalent to switching at each level