Port Townsend, WA Special Events & Permits: Parklets (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing chapter
- PTMC 12.10.045
- Uptown C-III cap
- 2 total streateries/parklets
- Other districts cap
- 1 per block
- Allocation method
- Annual lottery, around July
- Design review deadline
- 60 days after selection
Summary
Port Townsend caps parklets by district and allocates permits through an annual lottery, not first-come applications.
Due to the impact on parking, parklets and streateries are to be limited in number as follows:
1. Two total streateries or parklets in the C-III historic commercial district uptown.
2. One streatery or parklet per block in all other commercial districts or mixed use districts.
3. No streateries are permitted in the C-III historic commercial district downtown after December 31, 2022.
B. The city will allocate any available streatery or parklet permits based on a lottery to be held on or about July of each calendar year. In order to be eligible for the lottery, applicants must have submitted a letter of interest with a basic site plan and proof of notice to all residents and business and property owners within 300 feet of the proposed streatery. All applicants will be invited to attend the lottery drawing.
C. Streatery and parklet applicants selected in the lottery process must submit a site plan design and aesthetics concept plan for review by staff and the historic preservation committee, if applicable, within 60 days of selection.
D. Streatery and parklet applicants must obtain all other necessary permits, including but not limited to building permits, liquor licenses, and health inspections.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 3364, passed May 18, 2026).
Full Breakdown
PTMC 12.10.045 limits parklets and streateries to two total in the C-III historic uptown district and one per block elsewhere in commercial or mixed-use zones. The city allocates available permits through a lottery held around July each year; applicants must first submit a letter of interest with a site plan and proof they notified everyone within 300 feet. Lottery winners then have 60 days to submit design plans for staff and historic preservation committee review before a permit issues.
Violations & Fines
Operating a parklet without an annual street use permit, exceeding the per-block cap, or skipping the lottery/notice process can bring permit denial or revocation by the public works director.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can any business just build a parklet in Port Townsend?
Do parklets have to stay open to the public?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Port Townsend
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