City Council Approves Long-Awaited Scaffolding Shed Reforms

NEW YORK CITY — The New York City Council unanimously passed a package of bills that would change scaffolding design standards, establish removal timelines, and enhance the efficiency of façade repairs.

Officials said scaffoldings sheds have been a blight on New York City communities, attracted crime and obscure daylight for the people living in the buildings covered in scaffolding that remains up for far too long.

"Our city has been covered in over 400 miles of ugly, dingy scaffolding that impacts the experience of everyday New Yorkers, small business owners, and people coming to visit our city. It doesn’t have to be this way, and this package of legislation puts forward reforms to fundamentally change our approach to scaffolding while ensuring safety is still the top priority, Council Member Keith Powers, who sponsored the bills, said.

Some requirements of bills include having property owners apply for sidewalk shed permits every 90 days instead of every year, and penalize those who fail to complete construction and demolition of scaffolding in a timely manner.

Also, lighting on scaffolding sheds would be improved, and it would allow the buildings department to unveil new designs and colors for structures.

“Sidewalk sheds have been a pervasive problem in our city for far too long, covering our streetscape and negatively impacting public safety,” Speaker Adrienne Adams said. “The Council is proud to advance these reform laws that will improve our residents’ quality of life, make our streets more vibrant, and hasten the removal of these blights from our neighborhoods. I’m proud that, under the leadership of this Council, we are finally taking action to address these challenges.”