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

The scaffold rule is part of Chapter 155, Article I (L.L. No. 3-2000, adopted 5-17-2000), which sets minimum maintenance standards for buildings and premises used in whole or in part for commercial, business, industrial or any other nonresidential occupancy. Where a building has mixed occupancy, the residential and nonresidential uses are both regulated under the article. Section 155-5(D)(5) is the operative clause: no temporary painting scaffold or other temporary equipment used for construction, repair or maintenance can remain beyond six months after erection or placement without permission of the Building Official.

The code sets a clock and a gatekeeper, not an equipment standard. The six months run from erection or placement, and the only extension path is permission from the Building Official, who is appointed annually by the Town Board. Section 155-5 states that its provisions guide the Building Official and agents in judging whether premises are kept so they do not blight neighboring properties.

Enforcement runs through § 155-6, which makes all covered premises subject to inspection from time to time, with the Building Official authorized to enter at reasonable times and cause the least possible inconvenience. Owners, operators and occupants must give free access. Orders are served under § 155-8 by delivering a copy, leaving it with a person in charge, or mailing it to the owner, occupant or operator.

Under § 155-4, owners and operators share every duty, and neither can defend a charge by blaming the other. If the Town has to step in, § 155-9 lets the Town Board remove nuisances, hazards or litter from property in the unincorporated area of the Town of Union by resolution, assess the cost against the owner, and record a priority lien that lasts 10 years and can be renewed for another ten.