Bristol, CT Special Events & Permits: Sidewalk Dining & Cafés (2026)

Section 21-1(4) of the Bristol Code of Ordinances lets a duly licensed restaurant or other food handler create a sidewalk cafe atmosphere in front of its establishment by placing cafe tables, chairs and umbrellas, with or without advertising. The allowance is conditional: the area used for the tables must leave a minimum paved sidewalk width of at least four feet along, and nearest to, the street curb, kept unobstructed, safe, clean and free of patron harassment at all times so pedestrians retain a clear public passage.

Subsection (4)a requires the establishment to carry public liability insurance at all times with a minimum aggregate limit of one million dollars, naming the City of Bristol as an added insured on a policy approved and filed with the city comptroller's office. Subsection (4)b requires the restaurant to agree to hold the city harmless for injuries arising from the sidewalk use, covering acts or omissions of the business and its patrons. Subsection (4)c layers on a health registration step: the establishment must register the sidewalk-cafe use with the Bristol-Burlington Health Department and obtain an endorsement on its restaurant or food-handler license, and must comply with Section 19-13-B42 of the Connecticut Public Health Code.

There is no separate special-events permit fee named in the section; the insurance filing, hold-harmless agreement and health department endorsement together function as the city's authorization to operate the cafe seating. The provision sits within Chapter 21's general restrictions on using streets and sidewalks for trade, so a restaurant that skips any of the three requirements loses the exception and is treated as an unauthorized use of the public sidewalk.