We inspect sidewalk sheds to the NYC Building Code, from installation through every six-month check, and hand you signed written reports. All five boroughs, since 2004.
Looking for a facade (FISP) inspection of your building? A Qualified Exterior Wall Inspector performs that one.
A sidewalk shed faces several inspections during its life. Each has its own timing, responsible party and record.
| Inspection | When | Who Performs It | Record |
|---|---|---|---|
| Installation | When the shed is complete | A qualified person | New written installation report |
| Periodic | Every six months, counted from the last installation, repair, or adjustment | A qualified person | Written report each time |
| After Repair or Adjustment | After any repair or adjustment | A qualified person | The inspector's signed, dated written result |
| Daily | Every day | A person the general contractor designates. Without a general contractor, the contractor causing the work or, where no work is active, the building owner. | Visual check |
| DOB | Several weeks after the permit issues, and before removal | DOB's Scaffolding Unit | DOB sign-off |
Your permit renews every 90 days now. The six-month sidewalk shed inspection runs on its own clock under BC §3307.6.5.8, so track both dates.
Sources: DOB registrant requirements, sidewalk shed inspections and BC §3307.6.5.7 through §3307.6.5.10.
The inspector compares the installed shed with its approved drawings and checks its condition, components and site requirements. Crews modify sheds in the field and the drawings stay the same, so the inspector checks every change against them. The check covers:
Columns, bracing, connections and the deck.
Condition and fastening.
Dents, shifts, stored material on the deck.
The inspector checks it against the drawings. Electrical work on shed lighting needs its own DOB electrical filing.
The permit hangs where DOB expects it.
The inspector writes up the findings, and any repair triggers a fresh inspection (see below).
The code lets the designer, the permit holder, or a third party that both of them accept name the qualified person. A qualified person holds a recognized degree, certificate or professional standing, or has extensive training and experience. OSHA’s definition runs along the same lines.
| Category | Competent Person | Qualified Person |
|---|---|---|
| Core Trait | Identifies hazards and has authority to correct them right away. | Holds the credentials or experience to judge the work. |
| Typical Shed Job | Daily visual check. | Installation, six-month, and repair inspections. |
Our role. A qualified person performs and signs every sidewalk shed inspection we provide, including inspections of sheds other contractors installed. We write each report against the approved drawings and applicable code requirements, and list every defect with the repair it needs.
When was your shed last inspected? Send us the address and permit number.
Sometimes the contractor who built the shed has closed or stopped answering calls. Your inspection dates keep running anyway.
Send us the address and the permit number. We pull the approved drawings and the permit record, find the date of the last inspection, and tell you what is due next.
Every repair or adjustment to a shed needs a new inspection by a qualified person, and your six-month count starts over from that inspection. A delivery truck that clips a column counts. So does a crew that moves a brace.
Call us before the repair starts and again when it ends. The second call books the inspection. We answer 24/7.
Storm damage or an impact? Call (718) 256-2828. Holding a DOB violation on your shed? See violation removal in NYC.
Every signed report must stay in your on-site permit folder. The Department of Buildings can request the full history at any time. Our reports document what we checked against the approved drawings, every defect we identified, and the corrective action required.
We inspect sheds in all five boroughs from our Brooklyn office at 8808 Foster Ave: Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Staten Island. See our areas we serve.
Sidewalk shed permits now expire every 90 days and require manual renewal. Beginning August 17, 2026, each renewal submission must include a progress report from a registered design professional detailing the work completed since the last filing.
Keep in mind that your six-month structural inspections operate on a separate schedule. Track both dates to avoid compliance gaps. We reviewed these guidelines on October 7, 2026, but always verify current procedures with DOB prior to filing.
Six months after the last installation, repair or adjustment inspection, and every six months after that. A person the general contractor designates checks it by eye each day. With no active work, the owner takes over.
A qualified person. The designer, the permit holder, or a third party both accept names that person under BC §3307.6.5.8.
Yes. Installation and six-month inspections each produce a written report. After a repair or adjustment, the inspector records, signs and dates the written result.
No. The daily check is a visual inspection by the general contractor's designee or, when no work is active, the owner. The six-month inspection comes from a qualified person and produces a report.
Yes. DOB's Scaffolding Unit inspects all sidewalk shed projects several weeks after permit issuance, and the contractor must notify the unit before removal. Source: DOB registrant requirements.
No. A shed inspection checks the protective equipment. A FISP inspection checks the building's exterior wall, and a Qualified Exterior Wall Inspector performs it. See DOB's FISP page.
Send the address, the permit number and the date of the last inspection, if you know it. We tell you what is due and call you with the next step.
Call (718) 256-2828. A due or overdue inspection belongs on the phone. We answer 24/7.
Use the form: address · permit number · date of last inspection · phone
