There are many different balcony regulations. Most of this depends on what country, state, and even county you reside in. For example, an apartment complex would have different regulations than someone that may live on an acre of land. An apartment complex may also have different regulations about what you can do on your balcony. Please check out:
. http://www.imo.org/Safety/mainframe.asp?topic_id=1366 for more.