Sidewalk shed at the facade of a New York City building

Update on the NYC Facade Inspection and Safety Program (FISP)

Date August 2025

Category Industry Bulletins

New York Gets Serious about “Get Sheds Down”

New legislation impacting the structure and implementation of FISP, New York City’s exterior wall safety program, forecasts significant changes to the timeline of critical examinations and brings stricter enforcement of prompt facade repairs.

Local Law 51 of 2025: Effective 12 January 2026, nearly a year into FISP Cycle 10, new penalties will be assessed for failure to complete facade repairs in a timely manner. Part of the “Get Sheds Down” legislation package (Local Laws 47-51) that targets New York’s ubiquitous and unsightly sidewalk sheds, this law aims to encourage prompt resolution of needed repairs and thereby shorten the duration that sidewalk sheds are in place. Penalties of between $5,000 and $20,000 will be imposed on owners who leave sheds up but fail to take action to resolve unsafe facade conditions. Once a permit for a sidewalk shed in a public right-of-way is issued, the owner has just five months to file construction documents, eight months to file an acceptable work permit application, and two years to complete repairs before hefty penalties are levied. These new fines are in addition to existing FISP penalties.

Local Law 48 of 2025: As with Local Law 51, these changes go into effect on 12 January 2026 and impose penalties for sidewalk sheds in a public right-of-way. Sidewalk shed permits will no longer be issued for two years but will be limited to just 90 days. While these permits may be renewed, beginning with the second renewal, owners must demonstrate that work is underway to address the facade condition for which the sidewalk shed was erected. A registered design professional must submit a report to the New York City Department of Buildings (DOB), documenting that work has been performed since the last permit renewal and that construction is still ongoing. (Exemptions for financial hardship and issues with access to materials or properties are accepted but must be documented by the design professional.) If work is not in progress, owners are liable for penalties of between $10 and $200 per linear foot of sidewalk shed per month, increasing the longer the shed is in place. Sidewalk shed permits cannot be renewed until these penalties are paid.

Local Law 47 of 2025: While this law primarily directs the DOB to evaluate options to improve sidewalk shed design, more important for building owners is the increase in minimum clearance beneath sidewalk sheds from eight feet to twelve, which is likely to raise the cost of installation. That portion of the law took effect on 15 August 2025, so owners will see the impact in this FISP inspection cycle. Brighter LED lighting beneath sheds is mandated here and in Local Law 50, which may also increase costs. To further limit sidewalk shed use, containment netting will now be permitted in place of sheds for areas with no public access.

Local Law 49 of 2025: Currently, FISP Critical Examinations operate on five-year filing cycles, a time frame that’s been in place since 1980. Now, the DOB is tasked with conducting a study to reassess the appropriate period for the FISP inspection cycle, with recommendations due to the City Council by the end of 2025. In anticipation of these findings, the Administrative Code has been revised, effective 1 October 2026, to remove the stipulation that the FISP “examination shall be conducted at least once during each five-year report filing cycle” and instead allow for a longer cycle of “between 6 to 12 years.” Initial examinations for new buildings, currently required in the fifth year after construction, will not be mandated until the eighth year, affording new construction three extra years before the first FISP cycle. With filing windows poised to extend at least an extra year – and up to seven years longer – this could have a major impact on both building owners and AEC professionals. For now, the five-year filing cycle remains in effect, but this Local Law portends changes ahead.

For FISP Cycle 10, the five-year filing period remains as is. That could change in the next cycle, which may see the time between inspections reach as long as a dozen years.

Together, these new Local Laws mean that owners must take steps to expeditiously address Unsafe and SWARMP facade conditions identified in FISP reports, particularly on portions of the building fronting a public right-of-way. Looking ahead, they also forecast a potential lengthening of the FISP inspection cycle, with the time between Critical Examinations reaching possibly as long as a dozen years. Once the DOB presents its findings later this year, we will know more about what to expect in upcoming cycles. For Cycle 10, the filing windows remain unchanged. Stiffer penalties for owners who drag their feet in completing repairs, however, will take effect in just a few months.

For more information, visit our Facade Inspection and Safety Program resource page.

Sidewalk shed in place at a Manhattan building — “Ever since the ‘Get Sheds Down’ plan was first introduced, our administration has made significant progress compelling hundreds of building owners to make needed repairs, so they can remove their sidewalk sheds from our neighborhoods.” *— Jimmy Oddo, DOB Commissioner*

Sidewalk bridging shades a New York City plaza — “Ever since the ‘Get Sheds Down’ plan was first introduced, our administration has made significant progress compelling hundreds of building owners to make needed repairs, so they can remove their sidewalk sheds from our neighborhoods.” *— Jimmy Oddo, DOB Commissioner*

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