FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 17th, 2025
CONTACT: Emma Johnson 
ejohnson@council.nyc.gov 
347-864-4925

Scaffolding Reform is Law in New York City

NEW YORK – Today Mayor Eric Adams signed a package of bills sponsored by Council Member Keith Powers to reform the city’s archaic scaffolding laws. Sheds are a blight on our communities, attract crime, and obscure daylight for the people living in the buildings covered in scaffolding that remains up for far too long. It’s time to change the system, and this legislation does just that.

A poll conducted this spring found that 77% of New Yorkers feel that scaffolding negatively affects their everyday lives. Just 6% of those polled thought that scaffolding laws are fine the way they are. The data is clear: New Yorkers are sick of their streets being overwhelmed by the scourge of ugly sheds, some of which remain in place for months or even years.

The bills signed today update design requirements, establish removal timelines, and enhance the efficiency of façade repairs. Over a third of the sheds that remain in New York City are classified under Local Law 11 and could be removed sooner under the reforms.

Council Member Keith Powers said, “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. 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!”

###