Ames, IA Special Events & Permits: Sidewalk Dining & Cafés (2026)

A sidewalk cafe under Sec. 22.32 must be immediately contiguous to its adjoining indoor restaurant, or offset into an on-street "parklet" that the City Council must separately approve and that may require reimbursing lost parking-meter revenue. The cafe cannot occupy more than 50 percent of the sidewalk's width and must always leave a minimum four-foot clear path, and it cannot sit within eight feet of a bus stop or fire hydrant or within twenty feet of a street intersection. Barriers separating patrons from pedestrian and roadway traffic must stand at least 42 inches tall, meet ADA detectability standards, and be secured or weighted against rolling into a driving lane.

Furniture must be "readily movable," meaning nothing may be bolted, cemented or screwed down, umbrellas need a base of at least 60 pounds, and within one hour of closing all tables, chairs and barriers must be stored indoors or locked down with chains or cables. Operating hours run 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., only between April 1 and October 31 of the permit year. Alcohol may be served under a valid liquor license, but staff must control entry and exit, sales must stop by 10 p.m., patrons cannot bring in outside drinks, and an offset cafe must keep any patron carrying alcohol from loitering in the clear pedestrian path between the restaurant and the cafe.

Outdoor food preparation is banned; food and drinks must come from, or be carried out by staff of, the adjoining indoor restaurant, and maximum occupancy is capped at the lesser of the available seating or the building/fire code occupancy limit.