Supported scaffold permit in NYC: the 40 ft threshold
A supported (pipe or frame) scaffold needs a permit at 40 ft or taller. Under 40 ft it generally does not. How the method gets decided when the drawings stay silent.
When does a supported scaffold need a permit in NYC?
At 40 ft or taller. A supported pipe or frame scaffold under 40 ft generally needs no permit. When the drawings do not state the height, treat the permit as required until the height is confirmed.
What matters on a real job
40 ft or taller
That is the line for a supported scaffold permit.
Supported vs suspended
On a tall building a pipe scaffold to full height is impractical, so the likely method is a suspended scaffold dropped from the roof — a different permit (CD5). On a low building, supported from grade is the likely method.
The drawings usually do not say
Scaffold permits are filed by the contractor after award, so the bid set rarely names the method. Inferring it from height is fair; guessing is not.