Appleton, WI Special Events & Permits: Sidewalk Dining & Cafés (2026)

The Department of Public Works, not the Health Department, controls sidewalk cafes under Chapter 9, Article VI, Division 4 of the Appleton Municipal Code. Section 9-257 requires a Street Occupancy Permit before any merchant sets tables and chairs on the amenity strip, the four-to-eight-foot buffer between the curb and the pedestrian right-of-way (an eight-foot amenity strip along College Avenue between Richmond and Drew Streets). Applicants file a written request and fee with Public Works under Section 9-258; the Common Council must approve it before Public Works issues a numbered, non-transferable permit tied to a specific location and holder (Section 9-259).

Once operating, Section 9-262 caps the cafe to the amenity strip directly in front of the business, bars any furnishing over five feet tall except table umbrellas, requires a minimum 12-foot curb-to-building depth with at least eight feet kept clear for pedestrians and four feet for tables, and makes the permit holder keep the area clean. A cafe cannot operate on Flag Day Parade, License to Cruise, Octoberfest, Christmas Parade, or any day a permitted special event closes the adjacent street (Section 9-261). , and can only be served by a licensed operator; patrons cannot carry drinks past the cafe boundary. The Chief of Police can close a cafe outright whenever public health, safety or order is threatened.