We build the scaffold drops your engineer needs for the close-up inspection, the sheds and fences that go up when a condition is filed Unsafe, and the repair scaffolding that follows.
Local Law 11 scaffolding work starts with one question: does the law cover your building? The answer comes down to height.
The DOB’s Facade Inspection and Safety Program, known as FISP, applies to buildings taller than six stories. The owner must have the exterior walls and appurtenances inspected every five years. A Qualified Exterior Wall Inspector, called a QEWI, does the inspection. That person is a licensed engineer or architect, and the report belongs to them.
Our lane is the physical side: the access the inspector needs, the protection the rule requires and the scaffolding for repairs.
The DOB runs inspections in five-year cycles. Cycle 10 runs from February 21, 2025 to February 20, 2030. The DOB staggers buildings into three sub-cycles by the last digit of the tax block number.
| Tax block number ends in | Sub-cycle | Filing window |
|---|---|---|
| 4, 5, 6, or 9 | 10A | February 21, 2025 to February 21, 2027 |
| 0, 7, or 8 | 10B | February 21, 2026 to February 21, 2028 |
| 1, 2, or 3 | 10C | February 21, 2027 to February 21, 2029 |
Scaffold access is easy to leave for last, and it can stall the whole inspection. Drops need plans and permits, so call us when you book your engineer, not when the window is half gone.
Eligible buildings in sub-cycles 10B and 10C with a Cycle 9 No Report Filed status may qualify to file an initial Safe or SWARMP report before their filing window opens. The owner must first obtain approval for a sub-cycle override in DOB NOW: Safety to assign the building to sub-cycle A for early filing.
DOB’s early-filing requirements apply, including payment of applicable penalties within 10 business days of provisional acceptance. Otherwise, the report may remain incomplete and penalties may continue.
Short answer: the inspector has to get up close to the wall. A drone doesn’t count.
Here is what 1 RCNY 103-04 asks for. Your QEWI stands on a scaffold or another observation platform and looks at the facade up close. No more than 60 feet between examinations. At least one drop on every wall that faces a public right-of-way. Photos and drones can’t stand in.
Two systems cover most drops:
The drops need DOB permits and trained crews. We prepare the plans, file the permits and move the drops as the inspection proceeds.
Send us your QEWI’s drop locations, and we price from them.
An Unsafe finding sets three things in motion.
The QEWI also recommends the type and location of public protection.
Acceptable measures include a sidewalk shed, a construction fence or structural netting. We build the sheds and fences.
If repairs cannot be completed on time, the QEWI must submit the appropriate extension request to the DOB.
Do not wait for repair quotes before the protection goes up. We answer calls at any hour. Arrival depends on the building location, site conditions and crew availability.
Unsafe condition? Call (718) 581-4370 now, 24/7.
Repairs need access too. Pipe or frame scaffolding and suspended rigs carry masons and crews to the wall, and the right system depends on the facade.
A Safe with a Repair and Maintenance Program (SWARMP) rating gives you time, but not forever. A SWARMP condition you leave uncorrected becomes Unsafe in the next cycle. Plan repair access before that happens, and the scaffold goes up on your schedule.
Required public protection stays up until the DOB accepts an amended report that rates the facade Safe or SWARMP. The DOB can also allow partial removal in some cases, so ask your engineer what applies. The wait frustrates many owners, and a schedule is the way out.
Plan removal with the repair schedule from day one. Ask your engineer for the amended-report date, and we line up the crew to take the shed down once the DOB accepts it. City Hall’s March 2026 plan mentions Local Law 11 reform, but the DOB’s FISP page still says five years, so plan on five.
Seven steps carry a FISP job from inspection plan to removal:
QEWIs need an access contractor they can name in a proposal. Send us the building address, the story count, the walls facing the street, your inspection date and your protection recommendation, and we return a drop plan and a price. Call (718) 581-4370 to set up a standing arrangement.
Yes, if it stands taller than six stories. The owner must have the exterior walls and appurtenances inspected every five years by a Qualified Exterior Wall Inspector.
No. A QEWI, who is a licensed engineer or architect, does the inspection and files the report. We build the scaffold drops, the protection and the repair access.
No. The inspector has to examine the wall up close from a scaffold or another platform. Photos and drones don't satisfy that part of the rule.
The QEWI notifies the DOB and you immediately. You must protect the public at once, following the QEWI's recommendation. A sidewalk shed, a fence or structural netting can do that. You must correct unsafe conditions within 90 days of filing the initial report with an Unsafe status. If repairs cannot be completed on time, your QEWI must submit the appropriate extension request to the DOB.
Not before the DOB accepts your amended report and rates the facade Safe or SWARMP. In some cases the DOB allows partial removal, so ask your engineer. If the permit was issued or renewed on or after February 2, 2026, it is valid for up to 90 days and requires manual renewal while repairs continue.
Check the last digit of your tax block number. A 4, 5, 6 or 9 puts you in 10A, a 0, 7 or 8 in 10B, and a 1, 2 or 3 in 10C. The windows close on February 21 of 2027 for 10A, 2028 for 10B and 2029 for 10C.
Call now if a condition was filed Unsafe. If an inspection is coming, send us the address, the story count, the walls that face the street, your inspection date and your QEWI’s contact, and we return a drop plan and a quote.
ABC Sidewalk Shed & Scaffolding provides licensed, insured overhead protection and scaffolding systems across all five NYC boroughs. Serving building owners, property managers, and general contractors with DOB-compliant installations and 24/7 emergency dispatch since 2004.
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