Sheboygan, WI Special Events & Permits: Parklets (2026)

Chapter 110, Article X of the Sheboygan Municipal Code regulates parklets. Section 110-601 defines a parklet as an expansion of a business or businesses creating an outdoor public facility on part of the public street right-of-way that adjoins the premises. Section 110-600 records the common council's finding that parklets encourage pedestrian traffic but can impede its safe flow, which is why the article sets permit conditions and safety standards.

Permit. Under § 110-602 the annual fee is the greater of $50.00 or $1.00 per square foot, never more than $2,500.00, paid to the city treasurer. Annual licenses issue on April 15 and expire on April 14 of the next year. The city clerk grants or denies each application, but only after the city attorney, chief of police, director of public works and city planner (or designees) review it. No permit issues unless all operations, including any alcohol sales, can comply with every relevant ordinance and statute. Applicants file with the clerk's office a copy of every county and state license, including restaurant and alcohol beverage licenses, a scale layout on eight and one-half-inch by 11-inch paper, product photographs or brochures, proof of insurance, an encroachment agreement with a ten-day removal duty, and an agreement to follow §§ 110-603 and 110-604. A permit transfers only for the same location and area, with a new site plan and a new insurance certificate.

Standards. The clerk, working with city staff, can add conditions beyond § 110-603. A parklet must sit in the right-of-way immediately adjacent to the permitted business. Appurtenances on street parking spaces stay at least two feet from the nearest edge of any traveled way. Fixtures stay at least five feet from fire hydrants, alleys, bike racks, trees, grates and crosswalks, and must be commercial-grade furniture. Decking must be flush with the curb with no more than a one-half inch gap, and rails must withstand a 200-pound horizontal force. Street-space parklets need reflective tape, soft hit posts and wheel stops, and any cable edging cannot exceed six inches of vertical spacing. Umbrellas must be at least six feet eight inches above the sidewalk. Food preparation, refrigeration and amplified entertainment need written authorization from the director of planning and development as part of a special event, and patio heaters need the fire chief's authorization.

Section 110-603(1) cites section 15.105(3)(f)1 of the Sheboygan Zoning Ordinance for the Central Commercial District, a text that is not part of the municipal code edition this page was read from.