Mountain View, CA Special Events & Permits: Parklets (2026)

Sec. 17 governs Outdoor Patios: public right-of-way space adjacent to a Downtown Precise Plan or Pedestrian Mall business used for outdoor dining, merchandise displays, or other activities approved in the city's Outdoor Patio Standards/Guidelines. No one may operate one without a license from the public works director or designee, obtained only by the owner or person lawfully entitled to use the abutting property (absent a council-approved exception). Applications require paying a council-set fee at submittal, and the director can deny an application that violates the City Code or the Outdoor Patio Standards/Guidelines, issuing written reasons for denial.

Every license is conditioned on the licensee removing or modifying the patio, at their own expense, whenever the director determines it necessary for a special event, city project, street cleaning or maintenance work. A denied, suspended or revoked applicant/licensee can request a hearing before another department head within 10 business days of the notice, with the hearing set within 30 business days and a written decision issued within two weeks; that decision is final. Licenses run for a one-year term from July 1 through June 30, are nontransferable, and must be renewed with an application filed at least 30 days before expiration or the licensee must reapply as new.

An exception let patios licensed between November 1, 2023 and June 30, 2024 run through June 30, 2025. Chapter 27's general encroachment-permit rule (Sec. 16) does not apply to licensed Outdoor Patios, and newsracks are barred within 15 feet of an approved patio to protect pedestrian space.