Anyone who has walked under a stretch of scaffolding that seems permanent may be glad to hear this: New York City is moving to get rid of long standing sidewalk sheds that have overstayed their welcome. The new plan focuses on how to remove scaffolding in a timely way. In short, the mission is to remove long standing sidewalk sheds citywide as quickly as possible. With this initiative, officials intend to finally remove sidewalk sheds that have long standing presence throughout the city.
On Friday, Mayor Zohran Mamdani and the Department of Buildings unveiled new rules meant to cut down on unnecessary scaffolding and shorten how long it stays up. The announcement took place at Highbridge Gardens, a NYCHA development in the Bronx. More than 4,000 feet of scaffolding has covered walkways there for over five years amid stalled facade repairs. City officials say some of that scaffolding is already being removed. In addition, the rest will be gone by late spring. This demonstrates a clear intention to ensure that long standing sidewalk sheds are efficiently removed from neighborhoods.
The issue is citywide: roughly 380 miles of streets, or about 7,500 blocks, sit under sidewalk sheds, some of which have stood for 15 years or more. Mamdani blamed outdated rules that make it easier for landlords to leave buildings in disrepair than to fix them. Furthermore, he pledged to remove any regulation that isn’t truly about keeping people safe. The overall goal is to remove long standing sidewalk sheds and improve quality of life for residents.
Highbridge Gardens residents have felt the effects directly. “People have got robbed around here while these scaffold was up,” said resident Edries Levestone, who welcomed the news. Neighbor Joanne Daughtry agreed the change was overdue: “This should have been talked about… a long time too, especially in Highbridge.” The hope is that the decision to remove these long standing sidewalk sheds will also make communities safer.
The rule changes target two main areas. First, how far sheds can extend from a building: previously tied to a building’s height, that distance will now be capped at 40 feet starting in August. This will free up plazas and courtyards that tall buildings once forced to be covered. Mamdani argued that longer extensions were never really about safety. Second, facade inspections: buildings under 40 years old that are well-maintained can now go 12 years between full inspections instead of five. Additionally, lighter visual checks are required every three years — a change based on an 18-month study with engineering firm Thornton Tomasetti. These changes will help remove long standing sidewalk sheds from public spaces more efficiently.
The city is also targeting landlords who treat scaffolding as a cheaper alternative to repairs — as happened at 409 Edgecombe Avenue, where sheds stood for 16 years before fines forced their removal. Going forward, the Department of Buildings will impose penalties for sheds left up too long. Additionally, they will require landlords to post public status updates every 90 days. “Sheds may seem small,” said deputy mayor Leila Bozorg, “but they are a big imposition on New Yorkers’ quality of life.” Ultimately, the aim is to make it standard to remove sidewalk sheds, especially those long standing, right after repairs are finished.
So far, the city says scaffolding citywide is down 17% in recent months. Some sheds are still necessary, officials note, but the goal is to bring more sunlight back to New York’s streets and systematically remove those long standing sidewalk sheds that darken the sidewalks.