Bethlehem, PA Special Events & Permits: Sidewalk Dining & Cafés (2026)

06(B) lets restaurateurs have outdoor dining that occupies the public right-of-way adjoining their property, but only if a $25 permit is obtained from the Department of Public Works, subject to the rules and regulations issued by the Department. The section carries the same clearance rule as the parallel sidewalk-sales permit in Subsection A: a minimum of five feet of clear walkway must be maintained at all times on the sidewalk. Outdoor dining is barred during Municipal Sponsored or Sanctioned Events, unless the Department of Public Works permits the activity.

05, meaning the same Historic and Architectural Review Board or Historic Conservation Commission process that governs vending-cart design. Subsection C adds a liquor-specific condition: no one may dispense alcoholic beverages outdoors without a Restaurant or Liquor License from the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board and PLCB approval for sales outside the licensed premises. Subsection D makes the $25 permit mandatory, not optional, before any outdoor dining begins in the right-of-way. The rule was adopted by Ordinance 2010-30 in December 2010, building on the earlier sidewalk-sales permit Bethlehem adopted by Ordinance 3420 in 1991.