Cocoa, FL Special Events & Permits: Sidewalk Dining & Cafés (2026)

Chapter 14, Article III, the city sidewalk cafe ordinance at Sections 14-61 through 14-73, confines sidewalk cafes, defined as placing chairs, benches, tables and similar objects within 75 feet of a licensed restaurant, bar, lounge, ice cream shop or coffee shop, to city council-designated cafe zones. The only zone named in the code itself is the Cocoa Village overlay zoning district; the council can add temporary cafe zones by resolution for up to one year. A permit from the city manager is required before any cafe opens, and it issues only to a validly licensed restaurant, bar, lounge, ice cream shop or coffee shop; cafes on a state right-of-way need Florida Department of Transportation sign-off first.

Applicants submit a scaled drawing, minimum one-quarter inch equals one foot, of the sidewalk layout, proof of liability insurance and photos or brochures of the furniture proposed; the city manager has 60 days to issue a letter of intent, after which the applicant has another 60 days to finish insurance and indemnification paperwork. Standards under Section 14-65 require a minimum three-foot clear pedestrian path at all times, no placement within three feet of a crosswalk, no cooking or pass-through service, and no attaching furniture to trees, posts, signs or fixtures.

Permits run one year, are not transferable, and the city manager can suspend them for street repairs or special events without refunding the fee. The annual permit fee is set by the planning and zoning fee resolution, most recently amended by Ordinance No. 11-2025, Section 2, adopted October 14, 2025.