Sidewalk Dining and Retail Business Application

If you’re a retail business or restaurant and plan to put tables and chairs in front of your storefront to sell or display goods, you’ll need to send us 3 forms:

  1. Sidewalk café permit: (PDF, 1MB)Download a permit application here(PDF, 1MB). Restaurant permits allow outdoor seating from mid-April until mid-October.
  2. Certificate of insurance: Your contractor needs a certificate of insurance that insures the contractor and the City of Syracuse as an additionally insured party under the plan.
  3. Maintenance and protection of traffic plan: You need to send us a detailed sketch that includes:
    • Store frontage
    • Number and size of tables and chairs
    • Footage from front of building to the curb
    • Amount of footage left for pedestrians to walk past (unobstructed pedestrian travel way)

It will take about 5 business days for us to review and approve your application.

Apply

Step 1.Complete the sidewalk café permit

Download a permit application here(PDF, 1MB). Restaurant permits allow outdoor seating from mid-April until mid-October. 

Step 2.Get your certificate of insurance

Your contractor needs a certificate of insurance that insures the contractor and the City of Syracuse as an additionally insured party under the plan.

Step 3.Prepare your maintenance and protection of traffic plan

You need to send us a detailed sketch that that includes:

  • Store frontage
  • Number and size of tables and chairs
  • Footage from front of building to the curb
  • Amount of footage left for pedestrians to walk past (unobstructed pedestrian travel way)

Step 4.We'll get back to you

It will take about 5 business days for us to review and approve your application.