Sidewalk Shed Guidelines

Construction equipment projects entail the installation of equipment to assist construction activities or secure a construction site for worker and public safety. Construction projects might involve the construction of a new structure or the alteration, restoration, redesign, or renewal of an old or damaged existing structure and its related materials, as well as any partial or complete demolition. During different construction activities, New York City requires sidewalk shelters to be constructed over sidewalks to protect any sidewalks, pedestrian walkways, or paths inside the property line of a site or abutting the property. Sidewalk sheds allow pedestrian pathways to stay open and businesses to function securely while work is underway.

A typical sidewalk shed project includes all or part of the following elements: Vertical supports/steel columns, Cross bracing/steel pipe girts, Railing made of steel pipes, Parapet made of plywood, Sills made of wood blocks, Lights powered by electricity, and the deck that might be made of steel or wood. A registered contractor must submit a sidewalk shelter design to the Board of Standards and Appeals (BSA). After it is constructed and in place, the contractor is responsible for maintaining, inspecting, and repairing the sidewalk shed and its components. It is necessary to construct a sidewalk shed:

When any construction activity takes place at the height of more than 40 feet above grade or more than 25 feet for partial demolition work, or if a dangerous situation exists regardless of the height at which construction is taking place.

Whenever items will be lifted above the sidewalk, regardless of the height of the structure or the horizontal space between the building and the sidewalk.

When the construction reaches the shed's intended height,

Before you start renovating a building's front, building a new one, or demolishing an old one.

A sidewalk shed may not be removed until the structure has been enclosed, all exterior work has been completed, the sash has been glazed above the second storey, the exterior has been cleaned, and all exterior chutes, scaffolds, mast climbers, and hoisting equipment has been dismantled and removed from the site. A sidewalk shed, on the other hand, must be removed after the related structure's project work is completed.