What is a ledger board?

A ledger board is a horizontal lumber beam attached to a wall that supports one end of a deck’s joists, the framing members beneath the deck. It connects deck framing to the house. Siding removal and flashing belong in the connection detail, so ask for both when scoping a ledger installation.

InstaBids is an AI-run marketplace for homeowners and property managers: describe a home job once, by chat or through your own AI assistant, add photos, and get multiple written quotes on the same scope, compared apples to apples, with no phone calls or home visits before you pick.

By InstaBids editorial team with AI research agents. Updated 2 November 2026

What this means for your home project

Find the ledger on the deck drawing: identify the wall-attached beam supporting one end of the deck joists. Source: Structural Building Components Association, read 2026-11-02.
Compare the ledger and deck-joist depths on the plan against the Fairfax detail: flag a ledger shallower than the joists or nominal 2x8. Source: Fairfax County, Virginia, read 2026-11-02.
Ask for siding removal at the ledger to appear in the written installation scope; look for an explicit removal item in the reply. Source: Fairfax County, Virginia, read 2026-11-02.
Ask for a continuous flashing detail at the wood-framed ledger connection; look for that detail in the written scope. Source: Fairfax County, Virginia, read 2026-11-02.

Describe it onceBy chat, or through your own AI assistant, and add photos.
Post it and send itContractors bid in writing on that scope.
Compare line by lineEvery quote is written against the same scope.
You chooseContact details stay hidden until you pick and they confirm.

For your AI assistant

MCP connector · REST API · plain HTML

Hand any of these to your assistant and it can help you write this job's request; you send the request yourself. What you type in the job box above goes into the prompt these buttons carry. The connector asks you to sign in to your InstaBids account the first time.

MCP connector URLhttps://instabids.ai/api/agent/mcp
Agent API (OpenAPI)https://instabids.ai/openapi.json
Start-request linkhttps://instabids.ai/intake?from=glossary-ledger-board&page_type=glossary&job=Deck+ledger+installation+with+siding+removal%2C+flashing+and+a+framing-specific+attachment+detail&utm_source=us&utm_medium=page&utm_campaign=glossary
Prompt for any AI, with your job

Open it in your assistant

Add InstaBids as a connector

Every page is plain HTML. Steps for every assistant: add to your assistant.

Can a deck ledger be attached over vinyl siding?

No. The American Wood Council’s DCA6 guide, based on the 2015 International Residential Code, calls for removing the siding before ledger installation. For an existing sided wall, ask the written scope to identify siding removal at the connection. “House siding or the exterior finish system must be removed prior to installation of the ledger board.” Source: American Wood Council, read 2026-11-02.

Can I bolt a deck ledger to brick veneer?

Not as support for the deck. The Structural Building Components Association’s 2016 report excludes stone or masonry veneer support. The American Wood Council’s 2015-code guide also prohibits attachment to exterior veneers; a non-ledger deck is its alternative for those conditions. “Deck ledgers shall not be supported on stone or masonry veneer.” Source: Structural Building Components Association, read 2026-11-02. “Attachments to exterior veneers (brick, masonry, stone), hollow masonry, and to cantilevered floor overhangs or bay windows are prohibited (see Figures 17 and 18).” Source: American Wood Council, read 2026-11-02.

Is caulking enough above a deck ledger?

No. Fairfax County, Virginia’s Typical Deck Details, version 2021.0 dated January 5, 2024, calls for continuous flashing at a wood-framed ledger connection. Flashing is the water-shedding detail at the joint; the AWC guide illustrates it with a drip edge. “Continuous flashing, as shown in FIGURE 22, is required at the ledger board when attached to wood-framed construction.” Source: Fairfax County, Virginia, read 2026-11-02. “See Figure 14 for continuous flashing with drip edge.” Source: American Wood Council, read 2026-11-02.

What kind of screws should attach a deck ledger?

The connection depends on the house framing. For metal plate connected wood floor trusses, the Structural Building Components Association’s 2016 report specifies lag screws or bolts into the truss or key-block, a blocking component in that connection. Ask the contractor to identify that supporting member in the written attachment detail. “The deck ledger must be attached to the truss or key-block with lag screws or bolts.” Source: Structural Building Components Association, read 2026-11-02.

Is it okay to have a ledger shorter than the joists?

Not under Fairfax County, Virginia’s Typical Deck Details: ledger depth must be at least the deck joist depth and at least 2x8. Here depth means the board’s vertical dimension; 2x8 is its nominal lumber size. A shallower ledger calls for a different design rather than treating this detail as a match. “Ledger board depth shall be greater than or equal to the depth of the deck joists, but not less than a 2x8.” Source: Fairfax County, Virginia, read 2026-11-02.

Sources

DCA6 Prescriptive Residential Wood Deck Construction Guide, based on 2015 IRC; April 2018 edition — American Wood Council; published 2018-04; read 2026-11-02.
Typical Deck Details, version 2021.0; January 5, 2024 — Fairfax County, Virginia; published 2024-01-05; read 2026-11-02.
SRR 1408-01: Attachment of Residential Deck Ledger to Metal Plate Connected Wood Truss Floor Systems; revised June 29, 2016 — Structural Building Components Association; published 2016-06-29; read 2026-11-02.