Ames, IA Special Events & Permits: Parklets (2026)
Key Facts
- Parklet placement requires
- City Council approval
- Citation
- Ames Municipal Code Sec. 22.32(b)(2)
- Possible condition
- reimburse lost meter revenue
- Barrier height required
- 42 inches minimum
- Clear sidewalk width required
- 4 feet minimum
- Limit
- one sidewalk cafe/parklet per restaurant
Summary
In the City of Ames, Iowa, a restaurant can extend its sidewalk cafe into an on-street parking space by installing a semi-permanent seating structure, or 'parklet,' but Ames Municipal Code Sec. 22.32(b)(2) requires City Council approval for that placement, and the Council can require the restaurant to reimburse any parking meter revenue the City loses. The parklet must still meet the same permit, fee, and design rules that apply to every sidewalk cafe.
Where Permissible. A sidewalk cafe shall be permitted as follows: (1) In zoning districts which allow indoor restaurants, and (2) Adjacent to an indoor restaurant, which shall be construed as either: (i) being immediately contiguous to and abutting the indoor restaurant on the public sidewalk, or (ii) being offset from the indoor restaurant, where a clear path of pedestrian travel exists between the indoor restaurant and the sidewalk café. An offset sidewalk café may be created upon the public sidewalk, or by the installation of one or more semi-permanent seating structures or "parklets" in an adjacent on-street parking area, or by a combination of the two. The installation of a seating structure or "parklet" in an on-street parking area is subject to City Council approval, and the City Council may require reimbursement for any lost parking meter revenue.
Full Breakdown
Ames Municipal Code Sec. 22.32 governs sidewalk cafes citywide, and subsection (b)(2) is what lets a restaurant place a 'parklet,' a semi-permanent seating structure, in an adjacent on-street parking space rather than on the sidewalk itself, when the cafe is offset from the restaurant and a clear pedestrian path separates the two. That placement is not automatic: the City Council must approve the parklet installation, and the Council may condition approval on the restaurant reimbursing the City for any parking meter revenue lost to the space the parklet occupies.
Once approved, the parklet cafe is subject to the same rules as any other sidewalk cafe under the section: it needs a Sidewalk Cafe Permit with a fee set in Appendix D, it must be delineated by barriers at least forty-two (42) inches high per Sec. 22.32(c)(2)(v), it cannot occupy space that leaves less than four (4) feet of clear sidewalk or pedestrian path, and it may not sit within eight (8) feet of a bus stop or fire hydrant or within twenty (20) feet of a street intersection under Sec.
22.32(e). Alcohol service is allowed only under a valid liquor license, only until 10:00 p.m., and only with staff continuously monitoring entry and exit, under Sec. 22.32(c)(2). One restaurant may operate only one sidewalk cafe or parklet at a time under Sec. 22.32(d), and the City can limit the total number of permits citywide to protect pedestrian flow. Violations of Chapter 22, including an unapproved parklet, are municipal infractions under Sec. 22.26.
Violations & Fines
Installing a parklet seating structure in an on-street parking space without City Council approval, or operating a sidewalk cafe outside the permit's approved footprint, barrier height, or hours, is a municipal infraction under Sec. 22.26: $500 for a first violation and $750 for each repeat violation. The City can also revoke the underlying Sidewalk Cafe Permit.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can an Ames restaurant put outdoor seating in a parking space?
Does a parklet in Ames need its own permit?
How close can a parklet be to a bus stop or intersection in Ames?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Ames
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