What is to code where you are . In many places cable is not. I am having a bit of trouble understanding exactly what this retaining wall is next to and why you need a railing.

It is allowed - our interior is all horizontal metal railings. But it was a whole fiasco to get it done and very expensive.

The street is higher then my driveway/garage.. we live in the hills. Here is another angle. But most of the wall is 6’ above my driveway so I for sure need something to protect people from falling. The top on the left is county property and will be extra parking.

This is a little off topic, but have you parked a car in your garage yet?

Yup. Tight but manageable.

I wouldn't buy a "kit" for that type of installation. You just need stainless steel cabling, a crimper and crimp fittings, some stainless steel eyebolts, and stainless steel turnbuckles to get everything taut. You can get everything you need by ordering these parts on Amazon.

Thanks! Would you mind sharing a link to a turnbuckle so I know what to look for?

Jeremy-

This is what I was talking about: SS turnbuckle

I have purchased wire cable and accessories from e-rigging.com. you don't need to be 4" apart, I hope?

I think 4” is the code!

The building code applies to, well, buildings. The 4" spacing is to protect little 'uns from getting hurt in the guard rail. Will little children be playing on this railing?

Will the building inspector allow this type of railing? Many locales will not.

I would plant bushes there. This is our side yard and we have a very high raised area that has bushes as a barrier.

Bushes won't meet code if a railing is required.

Where we live it depends on what the use of the area is. So in our case this is a garden not walking path so no railing required. If this were a path or access way then railing needed.

What is the top area used for Jeremy? Will it be a garden?

If it’s a paved parking area then yes agreed with Mark that needs to be very sturdy.

It will be parking. I can’t do exclusively shrubs since it doesn’t meet code.

If it's county property, why aren't they responsible for making sure no on falls off it? There no actual danger on your property since you're at the bottom of the cliff.

But Mark, that exceeds the maximum 4" opening code requirement... ;-)

Soft balls and small children are one thing, but you want to keep those two ton car from going over the edge.

So, the county plans to pave the space? Do they have a timeframe? I'd talk to the County Planner and ask for his suggestions. You can put forward the position that creating public parking will create more hazard for your property then leaving it garden. And this means you'll going to incure greater expense for the railing. See if they can help or add the railing to their portion of the property.

Perhaps signage would work.

Mark-

That won't help with toddlers. How about this?:

kudzu- every toddler I've ever met has been on a mission to meet death. Signs won't help. Only hyper-attentive parents or duct-tape/velcro works. ;)

Leashes help, too. Or maybe an electric fence... ;-)