For New York City contractors

What the rule asks

Site Safety Training (SST) card, Local Law 196 of 2017. Workers need an SST card showing at least 40 hours of safety training defined by the NYC Department of Buildings. Supervisors need a Supervisor SST card showing at least 62 hours.

Renewal: SST cards expire five years after the date of issue. A worker card is renewed with 8 hours of refresher courses and a Supervisor card with 16 hours, from a DOB registered provider, taken in the 12 months before the card expires. A card that expires on or after May 3, 2026 can be renewed up to one year after it expires, but it cannot be used on a site until it is renewed, and missing that year means applying for a new card. A card that expired before May 3, 2026 cannot be renewed. Record the expiry date printed on the card and shown in Training Connect.

Site safety manager, site safety coordinator, construction superintendent and concrete safety manager. The person designated to one of these site roles must hold the matching Department of Buildings certificate, registration or license. A site safety manager, site safety coordinator or construction superintendent also needs a valid Supervisor SST card.

Renewal: Site safety manager certificate, construction superintendent license and concrete safety manager registration: every 3 years. Site safety coordinator certificate: every year. Each renewal needs a Department approved course of at least 8 hours, taken in the 1 year before renewal. Apply 30 to 90 days before expiry. A lapsed license can be renewed late within 1 year of expiry, with a late fee.

Scaffold training cards, Building Code section 3314.4.5. Anyone who uses, installs, adjusts, repairs, maintains or removes a scaffold, and whoever supervises them, needs a Department approved scaffold course for that work, repeated every 4 years.

Renewal: Every 4 years. Supported scaffold users retake the 4 hour course. Everyone else takes an 8 hour refresher. A refresher up to 1 year late still counts, but the person may not do or supervise that work until it is done. After more than 1 year the initial course must be taken again.

Rigging crew, supervisor and signalperson training, Building Code section 3316.9. Everyone on a crew hoisting or lowering a suspended load on the outside of a building, their supervisor and their signalpersons need either an accredited rigging and signaling certification or a Department approved rigging course, refreshed every 4 years. People using rope access outside a building need SPRAT or IRATA certification.

Renewal: Department course: crew members and signalpersons take a 16 hour initial course and an 8 hour refresher; supervisors take a 32 hour initial course and a 16 hour refresher. Refreshers are due 4 years after the initial course and every 4 years after that. Certification instead: it must be renewed at least every 5 years, and the certifying body sets the actual term.

Master, special and tower crane rigger licenses, and lift director registration. Hoisting or lowering any suspended article, including a suspended scaffold, on the outside of a building must be done by or under the direct and continuing supervision of a licensed rigger. Since January 1, 2025, whoever acts as lift director must be registered with the Department, unless a master rigger or a designated master rigging foreman working under one.

Renewal: Every 3 years. The renewal courses must be taken in the 1 year before renewal. Master rigger: a 16 hour rigging supervisor refresher and an 8 hour lift director refresher. Special rigger: an 8 hour suspended scaffold supervisor course and an 8 hour hoisting equipment course. Tower crane rigger: an 8 hour tower crane rigging course. Lift director: an 8 hour lift direction course.

Hoisting Machine Operator (HMO) license and NCCCO certification. Anyone who operates a power operated hoisting machine under the Department's jurisdiction needs a Department Hoisting Machine Operator license of the right class. The operator must also hold, and keep current, the national crane certifications the Department names for that class.

Renewal: The license is renewed every 3 years, with a Department approved 8 hour refresher taken in the 1 year before renewal and current NCCCO certifications. The certifications the Department lists must be kept up for the whole license term. A Class B rating expires with the license unless renewed with it.

Structural welder license. Manual welding on any structural member of a building must be done by a welder licensed by the Department of Buildings.

Renewal: Every 3 years. Apply 30 to 60 days before the expiry on the card to avoid a late fee. The renewal page asks for a copy of an AWS or NYSDOT welder certification card.

Master plumber, master fire suppression piping contractor and gas work qualifications. Plumbing and fire suppression piping work must be done by a licensed master, or under a master's direct and continuing supervision. Anyone doing gas work under a master plumber also needs a Department gas work qualification.

Renewal: Master plumber and master fire suppression piping contractor: every 3 years, with a Department approved course of at least 7 hours taken in the 1 year before renewal. Full gas work qualification: never expires. Limited gas work qualification: expires 5 years after issue and cannot be renewed or reissued.

Master and special electrician licenses. Electrical work must be done by a licensed master electrician, or by people under a master's direct and continuing supervision. NYC has no journeyman electrician license: electricians working under that supervision need no Department license of their own.

Renewal: Each renewal needs a Department approved course of at least 8 hours, taken in the 1 year before renewal. Record the expiry date printed on the license.

Oil burning equipment installer license. Installing oil burning equipment must be done by or under the direct and continuing supervision of a licensed oil burning equipment installer.

Renewal: Every 3 years. The continuing education rule lists no course for this license.

FDNY Certificates of Fitness for torch work, fire guards, powder actuated tools and site heaters. The Fire Code requires a Certificate of Fitness holder to do torch work personally, to stand fire guard for torch work on construction sites and rooftops, to use powder actuated tools, and to supervise portable fueled space heaters on construction sites.

Renewal: Every 3 years. FDNY emails a courtesy notice 90 days before expiry. A renewal from 91 days to 1 year past expiry carries a $25 penalty. A certificate more than 1 year past expiry cannot be renewed, and the exam must be taken again.

NYC DEP asbestos handler, restricted handler and supervisor certificates. In New York City, asbestos workers, restricted handlers and supervisors need a city certificate from the Department of Environmental Protection as well as the State certificate.

Renewal: The City's business pages say the DEP certificate lasts for two years.

• NYC SST Card (Worker, 40 hour). Who needs it: Every worker on a covered site. How long it lasts: Valid for 5 years.
• NYC Supervisor SST Card (62 hour). Who needs it: Designated site safety professionals: site safety managers and coordinators, construction superintendents, concrete safety managers and the designated competent person. Other forepersons need the worker card. How long it lasts: Valid for 5 years.
• NYC SST Temporary Card (6 month). Who needs it: A new worker who holds an OSHA 10 or OSHA 30 card from the last five years and is finishing the remaining hours for the worker card. Only if you use it. How long it lasts: Valid for 6 months.
• NYC Site Safety Manager Certificate. Who needs it: The designated site safety manager. How long it lasts: Valid for 3 years.
• NYC Site Safety Coordinator Certificate. Who needs it: The designated site safety coordinator. How long it lasts: Valid for 1 year.
• NYC Construction Superintendent License. Who needs it: The designated construction superintendent. How long it lasts: Valid for 3 years.
• NYC Concrete Safety Manager Registration. Who needs it: The concrete safety manager a concrete contractor designates on a 2,000 cubic yard job. How long it lasts: Valid for 3 years.
• NYC Supported Scaffold User (4 hour). Who needs it: Laborers, masons, drywall hangers and every other trade that works from a supported scaffold, and their foreman. How long it lasts: Valid for 4 years.
• NYC Supported Scaffold Installer and Remover (32 hour). Who needs it: Scaffold crews who put up, change or take down supported scaffolds 40 feet or higher, and their supervisors. How long it lasts: Valid for 4 years.
• NYC Suspended Scaffold User (16 hour). Who needs it: Anyone who rigs, uses or takes down a suspended scaffold, such as facade, window and roofing crews. How long it lasts: Valid for 4 years.
• NYC Suspended Scaffold Supervisor (32 hour). Who needs it: The foreman who supervises suspended scaffold work. How long it lasts: Valid for 4 years.
• NYC Rigging Worker (16 hour). Who needs it: Ironworkers, riggers and signalpersons on outside hoisting, unless a licensed rigger supervises them directly. How long it lasts: Valid for 4 years.
• NYC Rigging Supervisor (32 hour). Who needs it: The rigging foreman of an outside rigging crew, unless a licensed rigger supervises directly. How long it lasts: Valid for 4 years.
• Accredited Rigging and Signaling Certification. Who needs it: In place of the Department course, for riggers and signalpersons who hold one. The code caps it at 5 years. How long it lasts: No expiry set by this rule. See the renewal note.
• Industrial Rope Access Certification (SPRAT or IRATA). Who needs it: Anyone who goes up or down the outside of a building on ropes, and their supervisor. How long it lasts: No expiry set by this rule. See the renewal note.
• NYC Tower Crane Rigging Worker (30 hour). Who needs it: Ironworkers who erect, jump or dismantle a tower crane, including the rigger foreman. How long it lasts: No expiry set by this rule. See the renewal note.
• NYC Master Rigger License. Who needs it: The licensee of a rigging business. How long it lasts: Valid for 3 years.
• NYC Special Rigger License. Who needs it: The licensee of a suspended scaffold or light rigging business. How long it lasts: Valid for 3 years.
• NYC Tower Crane Rigger License. Who needs it: Whoever supervises tower crane erection, jumping or dismantling. How long it lasts: Valid for 3 years.
• NYC Lift Director Registration. Who needs it: Anyone who acts as lift director on a crane or derrick pick, unless a master rigger or a designated master rigging foreman. How long it lasts: Valid for 3 years.
• NYC Hoisting Machine Operator License (HMO). Who needs it: Crane operators and operating engineers: Class A, B or C, or a limited license for boom trucks, articulating boom cranes, mini cranes and rotating telehandlers. How long it lasts: Valid for 3 years.
• Crane Operator (NCCCO). Who needs it: Every licensed operator, for the certifications the Department lists for their license class. How long it lasts: Valid for 5 years.
• NYC Welder License. Who needs it: Ironworkers, steel erectors and anyone else doing manual structural welding. How long it lasts: Valid for 3 years.
• NYC Master Plumber License. Who needs it: The licensee of a plumbing business. How long it lasts: Valid for 3 years.
• NYC Master Fire Suppression Piping Contractor License. Who needs it: The licensee of a sprinkler or fire suppression piping business. How long it lasts: Valid for 3 years.
• NYC Full Gas Work Qualification. Who needs it: Plumbers who do gas work under a master plumber's direct and continuing supervision. How long it lasts: No expiry set by this rule. See the renewal note.
• NYC Limited Gas Work Qualification. Who needs it: Plumbers who hold the limited qualification instead of the full one. It cannot be renewed. How long it lasts: Valid for 5 years.
• NYC Master Electrician License. Who needs it: The licensee of an electrical contracting business. How long it lasts: No expiry set by this rule. See the renewal note.
• NYC Special Electrician License. Who needs it: An owner's in house electrician for named buildings. How long it lasts: No expiry set by this rule. See the renewal note.
• NYC Oil Burner Equipment Installer License. Who needs it: The HVAC or mechanical licensee who supervises oil burner installations, Class A or Class B. How long it lasts: Valid for 3 years.
• FDNY G-60 Certificate of Fitness (Torch Use of Flammable Gases). Who needs it: Plumbers and HVAC mechanics who braze, ironworkers and demolition crews who torch cut, and roofers. How long it lasts: Valid for 3 years.
• FDNY G-41 Certificate of Fitness (Torch Applied Roofing). Who needs it: Roofers who do only torch applied roofing, in place of G-60. How long it lasts: Valid for 3 years.
• FDNY F-60 Certificate of Fitness (Fire Guard for Torch Operations). Who needs it: The fire guard for each torch on a construction site or roof, often a laborer or apprentice. How long it lasts: Valid for 3 years.
• FDNY E-21 Certificate of Fitness (Powder Actuated Tools). Who needs it: Carpenters, drywall hangers, electricians and anyone else who uses powder actuated tools on a site. How long it lasts: Valid for 3 years.
• FDNY S-92 Certificate of Fitness (Portable Fueled Space Heaters). Who needs it: Whoever supervises temporary heaters on a construction site, for example in winter concrete work. How long it lasts: Valid for 3 years.
• NYC DEP Asbestos Handler Certificate. Who needs it: Abatement workers and laborers in NYC. How long it lasts: Valid for 2 years.
• NYC DEP Restricted Asbestos Handler Certificate. Who needs it: Carpenters, electricians and other trades who build or enter an abatement work area in NYC. How long it lasts: Valid for 2 years.
• NYC DEP Asbestos Handler Supervisor Certificate. Who needs it: Abatement foremen and supervisors in NYC. How long it lasts: Valid for 2 years.

Who it covers, the deadline and the official sources are on the New York City guide, each rule with its source. Read it there before you rely on this.

Set it up in Currity

1. 01Open State rules in the menu, tick New York City under Where do you work? and press Save and show guides.
2. 02Open Add to roles… and, for NYC SST Card (Worker, 40 hour), NYC Supervisor SST Card (62 hour), NYC Site Safety Manager Certificate, NYC Site Safety Coordinator Certificate, NYC Construction Superintendent License, NYC Concrete Safety Manager Registration, NYC Supported Scaffold User (4 hour), NYC Supported Scaffold Installer and Remover (32 hour), NYC Suspended Scaffold User (16 hour), NYC Suspended Scaffold Supervisor (32 hour), NYC Rigging Worker (16 hour), NYC Rigging Supervisor (32 hour), Accredited Rigging and Signaling Certification, Industrial Rope Access Certification (SPRAT or IRATA), NYC Tower Crane Rigging Worker (30 hour), NYC Master Rigger License, NYC Special Rigger License, NYC Tower Crane Rigger License, NYC Lift Director Registration, NYC Hoisting Machine Operator License (HMO), Crane Operator (NCCCO), NYC Welder License, NYC Master Plumber License, NYC Master Fire Suppression Piping Contractor License, NYC Full Gas Work Qualification, NYC Limited Gas Work Qualification, NYC Master Electrician License, NYC Special Electrician License, NYC Oil Burner Equipment Installer License, FDNY G-60 Certificate of Fitness (Torch Use of Flammable Gases), FDNY G-41 Certificate of Fitness (Torch Applied Roofing), FDNY F-60 Certificate of Fitness (Fire Guard for Torch Operations), FDNY E-21 Certificate of Fitness (Powder Actuated Tools), FDNY S-92 Certificate of Fitness (Portable Fueled Space Heaters), NYC DEP Asbestos Handler Certificate, NYC DEP Restricted Asbestos Handler Certificate and NYC DEP Asbestos Handler Supervisor Certificate, tick the roles the guide's "Who needs it" line describes, or type them.
3. 03Press Preview what will be added. The preview lists the credential types it will add to your list and how long each lasts.
4. 04Confirm with the add button, as in Add 2 requirements.
5. 05On each person's file, record the card. Enter the Expiry date printed on the card. The guide asks you to record that date.

Currity then warns you about each card 90, 60 and 30 days out, then 14, 7 and 1, and on the day. A card whose date has passed shows Expired and that person is not cleared.

The temporary card

The guide also offers NYC SST Temporary Card (6 month), for the people its "Who needs it" line above describes.

Leave its roles unticked unless you use it. A card required of a role is checked for everyone in that role.

Spanish for your crew

Each crew member can read their card link and their card emails in English or Spanish. On their file, under Crew language, choose English or Español. Everything the office sees stays in English. An import can set it too, from a Language column.

See the crew's phone page in Spanish

Good to know

• The guide is a summary to help you plan, not legal advice. The official sources are linked on the guide page.
• A GC can ask for more than the law does. Add their extra rules to the project. See Projects, the GC link and the prequal packet.
• New York State has a guide of its own: New York State.

Read the New York City guide