Oak Park, IL Building Safety: Scaffold & Sidewalk Shed (2026)

1 of the adopted building code, Protection of Pedestrians, adding a Village-specific row: where the height of construction exceeds 8 feet and the distance from that construction to the lot line is less than 10 feet, the type of protection required is a system of scaffolding and netting that fully encompasses all work areas at a level higher than the top of the barrier or covered walkway below. The same amended Section 3306 also layers on site-fencing rules that apply alongside the scaffolding requirement. 9 requires any excavation, including trenches, within 5 feet of the street lot line to be enclosed with a barrier at least 6 feet high, and excavations set back further still need a barrier, chain link fence, or other measures approved by the building official whenever workers are not on site.

5. Barbed wire and razor wire are barred outright. Two exceptions ease the fencing rule, though not the scaffolding and netting requirement, for residential zoning districts under the Village's separate Zoning Ordinance: a 6-foot minimum fence height applies instead of 8 feet, and lockable double-leaf gates are not required.