Mayor Adams Celebrates Passage of "Get Sheds Down" Legislation

March 26, 2025

NEW YORK – New York City Mayor Eric Adams today released the following statement after the New York City Council passed Intro 393-A, Intro 661-A, Intro 391-A, Intro 394-A, and Intro 660-A, fulfilling key commitments in Mayor Adams’ “Get Sheds Down” plan. 

“When our administration came into office, we said the days of letting scaffolding sheds languish on our streets were over. These eyesores were crowding our sidewalks, stifling our small businesses, and darkening our city; it was time for something to change. 

“We launched our ‘Get Sheds Down’ initiative to remove long-standing sidewalk sheds on public and private property, strengthen industry outreach, initiate our shed redesign project to create better designs, and much more. Thanks to these efforts, we’ve already removed hundreds of scaffolding sheds across New York City, but our administration was clear that we wanted — and needed — to go further. We called for an ambitious package of legislation to overhaul outdated city codes and flip the script on scaffolding, creating meaningful incentives for property owners to actually finish safety work and remove sheds rather than leave them up year after year. Today’s vote will do just that. 

“These revitalized rules will help the New York City Department of Buildings remove unsightly scaffolding and ensure that sidewalks sheds are safer, more secure, and more visually appealing when they go up for a limited amount of time. Above all, they will allow us to reclaim valuable space for the public and let the light back onto our sidewalks. Thank you to the New York City Council — especially Councilmembers Erik Bottcher, Keith Powers, and Pierina Sanchez — for passing this critical legislation as well as Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine for his tireless advocacy on this issue. This is a win for New Yorkers, for businesses, and for the future of our city.” 

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