West New York, NJ Special Events & Permits: Parklets (2026)

The Town Code does not use the word parklet, but Article IX of Chapter 352 (Outdoor Dining Regulations) addresses the same thing: a dining platform or seating area built into curb lane or parking space. The answer in the Town of West New York is no. Article IX was adopted 4-14-2021 by Ord. No. 8/21 and amended in its entirety 4-27-2022 by Ord. No. 5/22, and its preamble says the Town sought to amend its outdoor dining regulations to restrict the use of parking spaces and to expand the use for outdoor cafes located on the sidewalk of an adjacent structure. That policy reversed the pandemic-era expansion that followed P.L. 2021, c. 15.

Three sections carry the rule. Section 352-43B, headed on-street license add-on, says outdoor cafes are not permitted to be located or operated on any street area or parking lot area within the Town. Section 352-45 prohibits the operation of any outdoor cafe that extends onto a public street, an area designated for street parking or any public or private parking lot. It also deems every on-street dining license issued before the article invalid and says the Town will not consider on-street license add-on requests included with an application.

The definitions in § 352-40 show where dining is allowed instead. An outdoor cafe is a food or beverage establishment serving on the sidewalk immediately in front of it, or in front of an immediately adjacent lot with the same owner. Sidewalk means the area within the public right-of-way reserved for pedestrian traffic from the curb to the front line of the establishment. Section 352-43A keeps a pedestrian pathway of at least 60 inches. Cafes on private property are allowed under § 352-43C, but a parking lot is excluded by § 352-45.

A restaurant that wants outdoor seating applies to the Construction Code Official for a $250 annual license and uses the sidewalk or its own private property, not a parking space.