The leading cause of deck collapse in North America is ledger board failure. Since most decks are attached to the house via a ledger board, and not fully freestanding, a failure here can be devastating. In older construction, the ledger board was often just face nailed to the rim joist. Though more recent codes required lag screws or through bolts, today special brackets like Simpson’s “DTT2Z Deck Tension Ties” are required to meet the IRC stipulation of a 1500-pound rated connector. This bracket extends into the home, providing a solid connection from the house's floor joists through the rim and ledger boards to the deck joists.