Albuquerque, NM Special Events & Permits: Sidewalk Dining & Cafés (2026)

The IDO regulates restaurant patios and cafe seating as an accessory 'Outdoor Dining Area' use under Section 14-16-4-3(F)(15). The dining area must be accessory to the business it abuts, and only items sold by that immediately abutting business may be served there, so a cafe cannot let a neighboring shop's food be consumed in its seating area. The ordinance bars any use that creates safety or health hazards. When the dining area sits on a public sidewalk, three additional conditions apply. First, the area must preserve a minimum clear pedestrian path of 4 or 6 feet, the exact width set by the adjacent roadway classification under Section 6-5-5-14 of ROA 1994's Sidewalk Design and Construction Standards.

Second, the business owner or operator must obtain a revocable permit from the City that fixes the boundaries of the permitted seating area, meaning the City can pull the permit and the boundary is not left to the operator's discretion. Third, before and after the abutting business's operating hours, all furniture, equipment, and goods must be removed from the sidewalk or secured against wind and tampering, so tables cannot be left out overnight unsecured. A separate rule applies where alcohol service leads to a perimeter wall or fence on the sidewalk: it must run 3 to 4 feet high, sit at least 6 feet from hydrants, crosswalks, drive aisles, and similar obstacles, and cannot cover more than half the sidewalk's width.