New Rochelle, NY Building Safety: Scaffold & Sidewalk Shed (2026)

Section 111-26, Storage of materials, opens with a blanket duty: all materials and equipment used in construction must be stored and placed so they do not endanger the public, workers or adjoining property. Subsection A, Design capacity, applies that duty specifically to scaffolds: materials or equipment stored within a building or on sidewalks, sheds or scaffolds must be placed so they do not overload any part of the construction beyond its design capacity or interfere with safe work. Subsection B, Special loading, sets a default limit where a scaffold or sidewalk shed was not engineered for heavier loads: stored material cannot exceed one day's supply, and whatever is piled must be arranged in an orderly manner and to a height that lets workers remove individual pieces without destabilizing the pile.

The same section protects pedestrians passing below active construction. Subsection C requires a Department of Public Works permit before materials or equipment are stored in the street, and where storage is allowed, the pile must leave a walkway at least four feet wide, unobstructed for its full length and lit at night. Subsection D bars placing materials or equipment so they block fire hydrants, standpipes, fire or police alarm boxes, utility boxes, catch basins or manholes, and bars storage within 30 feet of a street intersection or in a way that hides traffic signals. 1, separately requires an annual inspection by a New York State-registered professional engineer for any crane used on a New Rochelle job site.