Mayor Adams Signs Historic Legislation to ‘Get Sheds Down,’ Remove Unsightly Scaffolding Across Five Boroughs

April 17, 2025

Video available at: https://youtu.be/yiew7M55M2k

Intro. 393-A Strengthens Oversight of Sidewalk Shed Permits and Creates New Penalties Requiring Property Owners to Finish Building Repairs and Remove Sheds

Intro. 394-A Improves Façade Inspection Requirements for Taller Buildings 

Intro. 391-A Enables DOB to Implement New Shed Designs, Expand Color Options for Sheds, and Increase Height of Sheds for Certain Taller Buildings

Intro. 660-A Requires LED Lighting Underneath Sidewalk Sheds to Improve Visibility and Safety for Pedestrians 

Intro. 661-A Creates New Penalties for Taller Buildings That Fail to Meet Specific Façade Repair Milestones 

Legislation Fulfills Key Commitments in Mayor Adams’ “Get Sheds Down” Plan 

NEW YORK – New York City Mayor Eric Adams today signed several pieces of legislation to address the city’s long-standing scaffolding shed epidemic, giving the New York City Department of Buildings (DOB) new tools to remove unnecessary, unsightly scaffolding and create more appealing designs for sheds that are still needed. The legislation establishes new penalties, compelling property owners to complete building repairs in a timely manner and remove sheds more quickly; reduces the duration of sidewalk shed permits; increases the cycle of façade inspection requirements; expands the variety of sidewalk shed colors; improves lighting requirements for sheds; and more. Many of the reforms in this legislative package were first proposed by Mayor Adams in July 2023 when he launched “Get Sheds Down,” the city’s comprehensive initiative to remove long-standing construction sheds on city sidewalks and create more aesthetically-appealing alternatives.

“When our administration came into office, we said the days of letting scaffolding sheds languish on our streets were over. We launched our ‘Get Sheds Down’ initiative, removed hundreds of long-standing sheds, and proposed ambitious legislation to make sure property owners actually finish safety work and take sheds down rather than just leave them up year after year,” said Mayor Adams. “These revitalized rules will help the city remove unsightly scaffolding as well as make sure that sidewalks sheds are 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.”

“When I worked in the Mayor’s Office nearly 20 years ago, everyone was focused on fixing the scourge of sidewalk sheds. At long last, two decades later, the Adams administration and our partners in the City Council have finally done it,” said Deputy Mayor for Operations Jeff Roth. “This is a momentous day that will bring sunlight to our city once again, ensure façade work gets done in a timely manner, and keep New Yorkers safe.”

“Ever since the ‘Get Sheds Down’ plan was first introduced, our administration has made significant progress compelling hundreds of building owners to make needed repairs, so they can remove their sidewalk sheds from our neighborhoods,” said DOB Commissioner Jimmy Oddo. “Thanks to Mayor Adams and our partners in the City Council, this new legislation puts us on the cusp of a meaningful reduction in long-standing sheds across the city, improvements to the design of pedestrian protection equipment, decongestion of our sidewalks, and the first major reforms to Local Law 11 façade inspection regulations in decades. There is still a lot of game left to play towards fixing the city’s sidewalk shed problem, but these new tools will go a long way in delivering New Yorkers the uncluttered public streetscapes they deserve.”

“It’s rare New Yorkers agree totally on anything, but on long-standing sidewalk sheds, the feelings are unanimous — they’re dank, they’re dark, and they do a great disservice to one of our true shared assets: our public realm,” said Chief Public Realm Officer Ya-Ting Liu. “The Adams administration is laser focused on improving quality of life for New Yorkers in partnership with the City Council, our city’s BIDs, and many New Yorkers who stood up to say enough. We are doing just that and ‘Getting Sheds Down!’”

“NYCHA is committed to the safety of our residents and ensuring protection of our walkways and grounds as we carry out needed repairs to our buildings,” said New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) Chief Executive Officer Lisa Bova-Hiatt. “This is why we’re intent on keeping the scaffolding we need and removing what we don’t. We’re glad to see a broader reform to the city’s scaffolding regulations that will do away with unnecessary shedding and diversify design options, while opening up space on our properties with a reduction of unnecessary shedding that improves lighting and safety for New Yorkers, including the one in 17 who call NYCHA home.”

“Miles of sidewalk sheds have been removed since the inception of the ‘Get Sheds Down’ initiative, and this suite of tools will enable us to go even further,” said “New” New York Executive Director B.J. Jones. “Safer facades and brighter sidewalks will make our neighborhoods more vibrant for residents and businesses. Here’s to less blight and more light!”

Intro. 393-A — sponsored by New York City Councilmember Keith Powers — reduces the duration of a sidewalk shed permit from one year to three months and strengthens oversight of sidewalk shed permit renewals, requiring property owners to regularly update DOB on the remaining repairs needed to remove sidewalk sheds. This bill also creates new penalties for property owners who fail to conduct timely façade repairs on sheds in a public right of way.

Intro. 391-A — sponsored by Councilmember Powers — gives DOB new tools to improve the design of sidewalk sheds. The bill calls on DOB to recommend new shed designs and expands the number of acceptable colors for sidewalk sheds from the current hunter green to also include metallic gray, white, or a color matching the building. Additionally, the bill increases the minimum height of sidewalk sheds to 12 feet, allowing more sunlight to reach the sidewalk, and reduces the size of required sheds for tall buildings set back from the street as well as campus style properties, such as New York City Housing Authority buildings. Finally, the bill requires DOB to issue new rules on the use of containment netting as an alternative to sidewalk sheds.

Intro. 394-A — sponsored by Councilmember Powers — extends the cycle for required façade inspections of buildings taller than six stories from five years to between six and 12 years. The bill also empowers DOB to improve the Façade Inspection & Safety Program, which will be informed by an ongoing study launched by DOB.

Intro. 660-A — sponsored by New York City Councilmember Erik Bottcher — doubles the required level of lighting under sidewalk sheds from 45 lumens to 90 lumens and requires that lighting under sidewalk sheds be provided specifically by LED lights. Additionally, this bill would require lighting fixtures within a 20-foot radius of a window of a dwelling unit to be adjustable or shielded to stop the light from negatively impacting residential tenants.

Intro. 661-A — sponsored by Councilmember Bottcher — empowers DOB to issue penalties to buildings over six stories tall that fail to meet specific façade repair milestones for filing repair plans, obtaining DOB work permits for the repair project, and completing all façade repairs.

“For 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,” said New York City Councilmember Keith Powers. “I am proud to have led the charge to shed the sheds, and I look forward to bringing the light back to New York City!”

“New Yorkers have lived under a forest of scaffolding for far too long—and it’s time we cut it back. This legislation is about saying goodbye to the endless sidewalk sheds that block our light, hurt our small businesses, and make our streets feel like construction zones with no end,” said New York City Councilmember Erik Bottcher. “I’m grateful to Mayor Adams, Commissioner Jimmy Oddo, Council Member Keith Powers, and Borough President Mark Levine for helping us finally take the city out from under the scaffolding and into the sunlight.”

“When scaffolding goes up above a restaurant, business often plummets. When it stays up year after year, it blights the block and can have a devastating impact on small business sales, including harming restaurants and jobs,” said Andrew Rigie, executive director, NYC Hospitality Alliance. “That’s why we commend Mayor Adams for signing into law this important scaffolding reform legislation that will keep pedestrians safe, while giving these ugly structures a face lift, putting them up less frequently, and getting them down faster. We’re also grateful to our fellow advocates, the Adams’ administration, and the City Council for passing these essential reforms.”

“We congratulate the Adams Administration and City Council for enacting this comprehensive approach to improved regulation of sidewalk sheds,” said Kathryn Wylde, president and CEO, Partnership for NYC. “This legislation will make the city safer and more attractive.”

“Too often, sidewalk sheds overstay their welcome and become barriers to business, walkability, and the energy that makes New York’s streets so dynamic,” said Julie Stein, executive director, Union Square Partnership. “With this step, Mayor Adams is embracing a smarter approach — one that prioritizes safety without sacrificing street life. These laws will significantly modernize how we build, maintain, and ultimately remove these structures.”

“For too long, Business Improvement Districts have struggled to address the unsightly and unsafe conditions caused by construction sheds that have darkened our commercial corridors for years at a time,” said Erin Piscopink and Bob Benfatto, co-chairs, New York City BID Association. “We applaud the City Council and the administration for creating these new strategies to both ensure timely completion of much needed safety projects and to develop new prototypes for sheds that brighten and beatify the sidewalks around the city.

“We applaud the city for advancing this much-needed legislation to address the long-standing issue of sidewalk sheds. These structures have imposed significant challenges on small businesses, particularly those still recovering from the economic impacts of COVID-19. By reducing storefront visibility, inviting quality-of-life issues that deter foot traffic, and creating environments that feel unsafe for both customers and employees, sidewalk sheds have hindered our neighborhoods’ vitality and economic growth,” said Scott Hobbs, executive director, Village Alliance. “This marks a critical step forward to restore our streetscapes, enhance public safety, and support local businesses. We commend Mayor Adams and the City Council for prioritizing these reforms to ensure a brighter, more accessible future for our communities.”

“We applaud the city’s move to expand the toolbox beyond traditional pipe‑and‑plank sheds. By explicitly embracing lighter alternatives like safety netting and clarifying the code around their deployment, the legislation strikes a smart balance between public safety, neighborhood aesthetics, and construction efficiency,” said Carlo A. Scissura, Esq., President and CEO, New York Building Congress. “We support its intent and are committed to collaborating with our government partners and industry peers to shape clear, practical rules that ensure a seamless rollout and lasting success.”

“The NYCSRA applauds Mayor Eric Adams, DOB Commissioner Jimmy Oddo, and the City Council for addressing public concerns and tackling the complex issue of getting sheds down more quickly,” said Veronika Sikorski, president, NYC Special Riggers Association (NYCSRA). “We’re proud of our engagement in the negotiations on this legislative package. These new laws will streamline the permitting process, expedite necessary work, and ensure sheds are removed once façades are repaired and deemed safe. This collaborative effort between industry professionals, the administration, and lawmakers has produced meaningful solutions to longstanding challenges.”

“Long-standing sidewalk sheds detrimentally impact the economy and quality of life of this city,” said Fred Cerullo, president and CEO, Grand Central Partnership. “We applaud the mayor and City Council for taking action to create better designs and more vigorous enforcement weapons to get building facades repaired and sheds down expeditiously, and have our sidewalks in our business districts returned to our pedestrians and to our retailers.”

“The city’s ‘Get  Sheds Down’ initiative is critical to business improvement districts like Third Avenue aka ‘The Hub,’ where improving quality of life issues has a direct impact on small businesses and the overall shopping experience of residents and visitors,” said Pedro Suarez, executive director, Third Avenue Business Improvement District. “The South Bronx deserves better, and we applaud the new legislation and hope to see long-standing construction sheds removed so that the full beauty of our neighborhoods can be seen and appreciated. 

“For far too long, sidewalk sheds have cast a literal and figurative shadow over our streetscapes by dimming the vibrancy of our neighborhoods and placing an unfair burden on small businesses that rely on foot traffic and visibility,” said James Mettham, president, Flatiron NoMad Partnership. “We applaud City Hall and our elected officials for advancing the kind of forward-thinking, street-level reform our business districts need, and reclaiming Flatiron and NoMad’s sidewalks as safe and dynamic spaces for commerce, culture and everyday connection.”

“The passage of these sidewalk shed regulations is a big win for Downtown Brooklyn and all of New York City,” said Regina Myer, president, Downtown Brooklyn Partnership. “Far too often, sidewalk sheds are a blight on neighborhoods, impinging on public space, affecting the ability of our retail to do business, and ultimately impacting quality of life. These policies will address those challenges head-on, and we applaud the City Council for its leadership and commitment to making our public realm more vibrant and safe.” 

“Sidewalk sheds were never meant to stay up as long as they often do,” said Dan Biederman, president, 34th Street Partnership. “With sheds coming down faster in Midtown, we are already seeing the benefits of brighter, wider, and cleaner sidewalks.”

“We appreciate the administration’s commitment to bringing down ugly sheds in a safe yet timely manner,” said Jessica Lappin, president, Downtown Alliance. “This legislation will help make our central business districts more attractive and welcoming.”

Sidewalk sheds help protect pedestrians from overhead construction sites, building repairs, and unsafe building façades. However, these valuable public safety tools can create their own problems when property owners allow building repair projects to stall and sheds to languish in place for years, sometimes even decades. These long-standing sheds crowd city streets and darken sidewalks, negatively impacting tenants, pedestrians, and business owners. The Adams administration and Mastercard have found that sidewalk sheds can cost Manhattan businesses between $3,900 and $9,500 in consumer spending each month. Mayor Adams launched his Get Sheds Down plan in July 2023, a sweeping overhaul of rules governing sidewalk construction sheds and scaffolding to remove these eyesores from city streets more quickly while redesigning and reimagining those that are needed.

Since the launch of Mayor Adams’ Get Sheds Down initiative, DOB has helped remove 330 long-standing sheds across the city. All sidewalk sheds in the city that are over five years old are enrolled in DOB’s Long-Standing Shed program, subjecting the property owners to stronger enforcement scrutiny, greater outreach, and court actions when the owners refuse to make repairs. More than 100 separate properties have been brought into litigation by the city related to this initiative.

As part of the Get Sheds Down plan, DOB is also working with two design firms to create six new better-looking, more cost-efficient designs for scaffolding sheds and pedestrian safety equipment. Additionally, the city is working with an engineering consultant on a comprehensive study of the city’s Local Law 11 façade inspection regulations that will help reform existing regulations, as allowed by Intro. 394-A.