Buffalo, NY Special Events & Permits: Sidewalk Dining & Cafés (2026)

Under § 413-59(A), a restaurant owner who wants to extend service onto the abutting sidewalk files an application with the Commissioner of Public Works, Parks and Streets, with a quarter-inch-scale plot plan showing the restaurant's footprint, sidewalk dimensions, lot frontage, hours of operation, table locations, maximum capacity, any obstructions like bus stops or fire hydrants, utility shutoffs, and a barrier-free access route for people with disabilities. The Commissioner forwards the application to the City Planning Board, and final approval requires a majority vote of the Common Council, or a two-thirds vote if the Commissioner and Planning Board both recommend disapproval.

§ 413-59(C) bars any permanent encroachment or structure permanently affixed to the building or sidewalk. Before a permit issues, § 413-59(D) requires a construction-in-street bond approved as to form by the Corporation Counsel and as to sufficiency by the Comptroller, and § 413-59(H) sets an annual license fee per square foot of right-of-way encroachment under Chapter 75, Fees. The Supervisor of Licenses in the Department of Permit and Inspection Services issues the actual permit once every approval and the bond are in place.