Frame Scaffolding in NYC, Erected by Our Crews

Brooklyn Sidewalk Shed and Scaffolding erects and dismantles frame scaffolds on buildings in all five boroughs, for facade, masonry and window work. Our crews put it up and take it down.

What frame scaffolding is

Frame scaffolding is a supported scaffold built from prefabricated steel frames. End frames, cross braces and pins stack into bays that rise from the ground or a base, and planks form the work platform. OSHA’s scaffold eTool names fabricated frame scaffolds the most widely used scaffold type.

Frame scaffolds can be built one or two tiers high for residential work or several stories high for larger projects. Flat brick walls are where frames work best.

Frames, braces and pins

Five parts make up the system:

Names you'll hear for it

Sectional scaffolding, fabricated frame scaffold and tubular welded frame all point to the same family of systems. Contractors also say mason frame and walk-through frame for specific frame designs. This page covers the systems our crews erect.

Where frame scaffolding works best

Flat walls, repeating bays and masonry, painting or window work are where frames earn their place.

Flat facades and repeating bays

Frames stack in repeating bays, so crews cover a straight wall fast. Think rowhouses, or a low- to mid-rise apartment building with a flat front.

Masonry, painting and window work

Pointing brick, painting or replacing windows keeps crews working along one wall, so they need a steady platform. Frames give crews that platform from the first floor to the roofline.

Above a sidewalk shed

If the wall meets a public sidewalk, we often stand the scaffold on a sidewalk shed. The shed covers the walkway below, and the frames start on its roof.

Setbacks, projections and irregular footprints usually call for pipe scaffolding instead. That page covers the difference.

Not sure frame is the right system? Send us the building and the work and we’ll tell you. Get a scaffold quote

How we put up a frame scaffold

OSHA’s scaffold rules (29 CFR 1926.451-452) set the standard our crews work to. Here is how a job runs.

Site visit and layout

We walk the elevation, check the ground or the shed below, and lay out the bays before any frame goes up.

Foundation and first lift

The first lift sits on base plates, and on mud sills or another firm foundation. OSHA requires that footing under 1926.451(c)(2).

Stacking, bracing and planking

Frames join vertically with coupling or stacking pins, locked where uplift can occur. Cross braces secure each bay and stay in place while work is under way. Crews plank each platform fully.

Guardrails and access

Fall protection starts at 10 feet above a lower level. Workers reach the platforms by ladder or stair, and OSHA prohibits climbing cross braces.

During the job and dismantling

The same team that erects the scaffold maintains it and takes it down. Our crews hold OSHA training plus NASP/SSS and NYC Site Safety Training credentials.

NYC permits and height limits for frame scaffolds

Flat walls, repeating bays and masonry, painting or window work are where frames earn their place.

When DOB requires a permit

DOB requires a permit for a supported scaffold over 40 feet in height. If the scaffold stands on a sidewalk shed or other temporary equipment, the height includes that shed or equipment. If it stands on a roof or setback, DOB measures from the roof or setback to the top of the scaffold. Filings go through DOB NOW: Build. Some supported scaffolds under 40 feet may qualify for an exemption, so read DOB’s scaffold requirements first.

When an engineer must design it

OSHA requires a registered professional engineer to design a frame scaffold that rises over 125 feet above its base plates. For weight limits, see our guide to scaffold load limits. For the full permit picture, see the NYC scaffold permit rules.

Scaffold going over 40 feet or onto a shed?

Send the height and start date. Get a scaffold quote

Frame scaffolds with sheds, barriers and fencing

A frame scaffold staged on a sidewalk shed is a common NYC setup, and one team can provide both. We add concrete barriers along a traffic lane and site fencing around the lot when the job needs them. You deal with one contractor and one schedule.

Licensed, insured and crew-trained

Brooklyn Sidewalk Shed and Scaffolding can show you these:

  • In business since 2004
  • DOB-licensed, and a DCWP Home Improvement Contractor
  • $2M general liability insurance
  • Crews hold OSHA training plus NASP/SSS and NYC Site Safety Training credentials

FAQ

Frame scaffold questions

Sectional scaffolding and fabricated frame scaffolding are two names for the same system of prefabricated steel frames. Mason frames and walk-through frames are frame designs within that family.

Quote for your building

Call with the address and the work, or fill in the quote form.