New scaffolding regulations?
Does anyone know whether a sidewalk shed is required for scaffolding on the front of a house? We need to have some brick repointed on the front of our house in the Heights, and the contractor told us that due to new regulations we would need to build a sidewalk shed, with lighting installed by…
Does anyone know whether a sidewalk shed is required for scaffolding on the front of a house? We need to have some brick repointed on the front of our house in the Heights, and the contractor told us that due to new regulations we would need to build a sidewalk shed, with lighting installed by a licensed electrician, etc. This would essentially double the cost of a fairly small job. I called the DOB, and they said that since the building is less than 40′ high (it is 24′), they had no requirements, and we didn’t even need to get a permit. They recommended shrouding the scaffolding so that bits didn’t get on pedestrians. I tried calling the DOT and never got anyone who knew anything. A search of their website only came up with a requirement that 5′ of sidewalk width be kept clear for pedestrians. Looking at jobs in the neighborhood, pretty much every site has a sidewalk shed. It seems a little much for such a small job, but this neighborhood is crawling with lawyers and we want to do the right thing. Anyone know the code on this?
I just had cedar siding put up. The guy put up the scaffolding and netting, and since it was under 40′ AND on our property (inside our front iron gate) we did NOT need a permit! We evn had a 311 complaint that was dismissed because we were ok.
You might also want to explore using a swing stage.
The bridging company that you hire to install the sidewalk bridge will take care of the permit. The other job-sites with shed enclosures may be doing more extensive work,maybe even in the vault under the sidewalk. Agreed that there’s a lot of lawyers in the hood, but if you have permits from the DoB, DoT, and a Landmark’s Certificate of No effect (if you’re in the district) and if you’re comfortable with your insurance and have made sure that your pointing vendor has his insurance and worker’s comp. then you should be fine. – E.
Even if the city does not require the shed or other specific arrangements, you may want to look into your home owner’s insurance policy. If something happends to a passerby during the job and certain requirements were not met, they will not cover the damages or liabilty.