Littleton, CO Special Events & Permits: Parklets (2026)

Under the DT Landscaping standards' Open Space table, a parklet is defined as a permanent or temporary sidewalk extension that provides seating, plantings and other amenities, typically installed in parallel, on-street parking spaces and extending out from the sidewalk at sidewalk level to the width of the parking space it occupies. The Location and Size standards set a minimum parklet area of 180 square feet and a maximum of 360 square feet, with at least 25 percent of that area required to be planted. Installing one requires either a temporary or permanent right-of-way encroachment permit from the city, since the structure sits within the public street right-of-way over what would otherwise be parking.

Every parklet must include a perimeter protection barrier between 36 and 42 inches in height, separating patrons from adjacent traffic lanes. Parklets are permitted only in the Downtown Main Street (DMS), Downtown Transition Area (DTA) and Downtown Mixed-Use (DMU) districts, the same three districts where the code's rooftop garden open-space type is allowed, and are not listed as a permitted open-space type in the Downtown Neighborhood Residential (DNR) district. The parklet standard sits within the same Public Open Space Standards table that covers other open-space types such as plazas, paseos and rooftop gardens, each carrying its own size, planting and permitted-district requirements under the same DT Landscaping section.