New York Construction Report staff writer
New York City is changing the rules for sidewalk sheds, requiring building owners to provide more frequent updates on repair work and face penalties when sheds remain in place without enough progress.
The Department of Buildings (DOB) said Thursday that the new rules, which are now in effect, require sidewalk shed permits to be renewed every 90 days instead of once a year. Each renewal must include a report explaining why the shed is still needed, what repairs are being carried out and how much progress has been made since the previous renewal.
Changes are part of reforms approved by the New York City Council in 2025. They are intended to prevent sheds from remaining on sidewalks for years while building repairs are delayed.
After a shed has been in place for 180 days, DOB will be able to impose monthly penalties on property owners if required work is not progressing. The penalties will increase based on the size of the shed and how long it has been in place.
Owners can have the penalties paused if they can show that work is moving forward.
DOB plans to begin imposing the penalties in early 2027 and is currently contacting building owners about the new requirements.
The city had 7,427 permitted sidewalk sheds as of Aug. 17. That is more than 1,000 fewer than a year earlier and nearly 10 per cent below the number in place when Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani took office Jan. 1.
Six new designs proposed
DOB is also proposing six new sidewalk shed designs that would give pedestrians more light, visibility and space while still protecting them from falling debris and other hazards.
Designs were developed by engineering and architecture firms Arup and Practice for Architecture and Urbanism (PAU). The city will own the designs and make them available for use without licensing fees, allowing contractors and building owners to use the designs on projects across New York.
They all use modular parts that can be adjusted to suit different buildings and streets. Public comments on the proposed designs will be accepted until Sept. 24.
The goal is to make sure sheds are removed as soon as the work requiring them is complete.
“For decades, New Yorkers have lived with streets lined with bland-looking sidewalk sheds that stood in place seemingly without end,” said Buildings Commissioner Ahmed Tigani. “We are now building a cityscape that New Yorkers deserve by driving down the total number of sheds citywide, implementing a new enforcement strategy to make sure this equipment stays up for only as long as needed and delivering significantly better design options.”
The DOB is also changing its guidance for large properties such as NYCHA developments, universities, hospitals and other sites with several buildings.
Under the previous approach, a sidewalk shed could be required along walkways within half the height of a building. On large sites, that could mean sheds extending well beyond the area immediately around a building undergoing repairs.
New rules limit required shed coverage to a maximum of 40 feet from a building to reduce the amount of sidewalk covered by sheds while maintaining protection where it is needed.
Arup principal Seth Wolfe said the designs use modular components that can be reused and adapted to different streets.
“Our sheds are intentionally designed with highly flexible, modular components that can be reused and adjusted based on the streetscape,” Wolfe said.
