City Council passes new rules to reduce scaffolding and sidewalk sheds
The Department of Buildings will begin enforcing the new rules in the coming months, with penalties increasing for longstanding scaffolding that isn’t actively part of repairs.
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Sidewalk sheds and scaffolding have long been a fixture on city streets, but new legislation aims to change that. The New York City Council has passed a set of bills designed to shorten the time sheds stay up, improve their design and hold property owners accountable for delays.
With more than 8,400 sidewalk sheds across the five boroughs, some have remained in place for years—blocking light, hurting businesses and even posing safety risks. Just last month, a person was injured in Crown Heights when part of a shed collapsed.
City Council Member Erik Bottcher, one of the bill’s sponsors, said New Yorkers have been frustrated for too long.
"We all have sidewalk scaffolding for years and years… and for a long time, New Yorkers were just told to deal with it," Bottcher said. "We are not going to deal with it anymore."
The new rules will:
Reduce permit durations for façade repair sheds from one year to three months
Require better lighting under sheds
Penalize property owners who leave sheds up too long without making repairs
Allow more color and design options to make sheds less of an eyesore
Mayor Eric Adams called the reforms a “win for New Yorkers” and said they will help “reclaim valuable space for the public and let the light back onto our sidewalks.”
The Department of Buildings will begin enforcing the new rules in the coming months, with penalties increasing for longstanding scaffolding that isn’t actively part of repairs.
