Bloomfield, NJ Special Events & Permits: Sidewalk Dining & Cafés (2026)

Chapter 466 of the Bloomfield Township Code, adopted 4-17-1995, regulates outdoor dining on public sidewalks in the Township of Bloomfield, Essex County. Only a restaurant actually located in the adjacent building can have a cafe, and the definition excludes a fast-food establishment as defined in § 315-6. Cafes are permitted only in the CBD (Central Business), B-2 (Neighborhood Business), CC (Community Commercial) and CORD (Commuter-Oriented Residential District) zones. The applicant files a layout plan with the Municipal Clerk showing tables, chairs, planters, awnings and lighting, seating capacity, and a diagram proving pedestrian traffic is not impeded (§ 466-1). The Construction Official recommends approval, disapproval or modification within 10 business days, and the Clerk also refers the plan to the Chief of Police, Fire Chief, Health Officer, Municipal Engineer and Community Development Department, with approval by the Mayor and Township Council.

Before a license issues, the licensee files a certificate of insurance for not less than $500,000 for bodily injury or death and not less than $10,000 for property damage (§ 466-2), an indemnification agreement (§ 466-3) and a maintenance agreement for sidewalk repairs, and the Clerk can require a bond (§ 466-4). The fee is $200 per season for more than two tables and $50 for one or two tables (§ 466-5). Licenses run for the eight-month period from April 1 to November 30 and renew annually (§ 466-6). The operating rules in § 466-7 add that service goes to seated patrons only, noise must meet the Township Code, and the operator must follow N.J.A.C. 8:24-1 et seq.

Alcohol needs its own approval: the sidewalk counts as licensed premises only if the restaurant holds a license and the Township separately approves extending it (§ 466-8). A cafe without a liquor license on the sidewalk can allow patrons to bring their own (BYOB).