Mamdani unveils reforms to NYC’s sidewalk shed rules
Credit: Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office on Flickr
While Mayor Zohran Mamdani may disagree with much of former Mayor Eric Adams’ agenda, the two align on one issue: removing New York City’s sidewalk sheds. Last week, the mayor announced a series of new initiatives aimed at removing longstanding scaffolding, with a focus on sidewalk sheds at public housing developments. The city’s Department of Buildings (DOB) will advance reforms to reduce the amount of shed coverage required over open space farther from buildings and to lengthen the timeline between facade inspections. The effort builds on initiatives from previous administrations, including Adams’ 2023 “Get Sheds Down” campaign, which sought to overhaul the city’s scaffolding rules and develop more aesthetically pleasing shed designs.
“In the greatest city in the world, we should not accept darkened sidewalks and covered walkways as a fact of life. Our administration’s investments in shed removal and regulations for shed placement will deliver a more livable city by not just repairing NYCHA’s buildings but ensuring all New Yorkers can enjoy light and fresh air when they step outside,” Mamdani said.
Based on a study conducted with engineering firm Thornton Tomasetti, the city’s Department of Buildings plans to reform Local Law 11 facade inspection rules by extending the required inspection cycle. The updates would lengthen the timeline from five to six years and create a streamlined filing program for lower-risk, well-maintained buildings, allowing hands-on inspections to occur every 12 years instead of every five.
Additionally, the DOB has proposed a new agency rule to implement Local Law 48, aimed at strengthening enforcement and oversight of sidewalk sheds. The policy would impose penalties on property owners who keep sheds up for longer than 180 days and require them to provide status updates every 90 days, incentivizing faster facade repairs.
The new oversight procedures are expected to begin this summer. New Yorkers will have an opportunity to comment on the proposed rules in the coming weeks before they are finalized.
The DOB is also implementing new rules that limit sidewalk sheds tied to unsafe facades to extending no more than 40 feet from a building. Previously, sheds were required to cover sidewalks and walkways much farther from properties, sometimes extending up to half the height of the building.
The change, passed by the City Council in 2025, will reduce shed coverage at places like NYCHA campuses, multi-building developments, and university campuses, leaving more open space for pedestrians.
Mamdani announced the effort on Friday at NYCHA’s Highbridge Gardens complex in the Bronx.
NYCHA has been removing sheds that were erected due to hazardous facade conditions, some of which had remained in place for up to five years before repairs were completed. The Bronx public housing complex is one of 40 developments across the five boroughs where NYCHA is using $650 million in state and federal funding to complete long-needed facade repairs.
Roughly $400 million in repairs have already been completed, and sheds have been removed from more than 200 buildings to date.
Last March, the Council passed a five-bill package reforming sidewalk shed rules to shorten how long the structures can remain in place and allow for new, more visually appealing designs.
One bill reduced the timeframe for shed permits for facade repairs from one year to three months. Another doubled the required lighting beneath sheds and mandated the use of LEDs, while a third strengthened enforcement by penalizing property owners who fail to submit construction documents to the DOB within five months of project completion.
The legislation also required the DOB to study and recommend new shed designs to the Council by last September. The law allows for more color options for sheds, requires construction fences to match adjacent shed colors, increases lighting underneath, and raises the minimum height to 12 feet, as 6sqft previously reported.
That November, Adams unveiled six redesigned sidewalk shed prototypes by Arup and Practice for Architecture and Urbanism that aim to improve circulation, enhance aesthetics, and allow more natural light while continuing to protect pedestrians. The designs eliminate the X-shaped bars and other confining elements common in current sheds, and officials said at the time they could begin appearing on city sidewalks as early as this year.
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