Peoria, IL Special Events & Permits: Parklets (2026)

Peoria's Chapter 26, Article VII, Division 4 defines a commercial parklet as a seasonally built sidewalk extension that turns a curbside parking space into outdoor seating for a restaurant selling food, frozen desserts or beverages for immediate consumption, distinct from a sidewalk café because it occupies the parking lane itself rather than the sidewalk in front of a building. Under Section 26-287, operating one without an annual right-of-way permit from the city is unlawful, and Section 26-293 limits where the city manager can approve one: the parking space must be on a non-residentially zoned property in the Heart of Peoria area, on a street posted 30 mph or slower, at least 15 feet from a fire hydrant, 50 feet from an intersection, ten feet from an alley, and five feet from a driveway or curb cut, and it cannot sit adjacent to a bus stop.

Section 26-289 sets the fee at $350.00 per year if the space is unmetered or $1,450.00 if metered, though the permit itself is free the first year it issues. Section 26-290 requires a $10,000.00 performance bond and general liability insurance of $600,000.00 per person, $1,000,000.00 per occurrence and $30,000.00 in property damage, naming the city as coinsured, roughly double the coverage required for a sidewalk café under the same section. Physically, Section 26-298(e) caps a parklet's structure at six feet wide and 42 inches tall, requires solid siding on the three street-facing edges, and requires it to sit flush with the sidewalk and at least a foot in from the traffic edge of the parking space; it may span one or two contiguous spaces.

The seasonal permit runs April 1 through November 15, food and alcohol service require the operator to hold the underlying retail food and liquor licenses, and Section 26-292 lets a denied or revoked applicant appeal to the Peoria Transportation Commission within 30 days.