De Pere, WI Special Events & Permits: Sidewalk Dining & Cafés (2026)

layers extra requirements onto the general revocable occupancy permit for any restaurant that wants a sidewalk cafe, defined as a group of tables, chairs, benches or partitions kept on the city's right-of-way or public sidewalks directly next to an establishment holding a valid restaurant license. Beyond the general application to the development services director required for any right-of-way permit, a sidewalk cafe applicant who wants to serve alcohol must separately apply to amend its Class B alcohol license so the licensed premises description covers the sidewalk cafe area.

Every table, chair and other piece of equipment placed in the permitted area has to be portable and cannot be permanently affixed to the sidewalk surface. The default rule requires all outdoor furniture and equipment to come inside before the close of business each day and stay off the sidewalk until the cafe's usual opening the next day; an applicant who wants to leave furniture out overnight instead can request that exemption on the permit application itself, but the director of public works and the director of development services, or their designees, must both approve it, and the exemption is unavailable altogether in any area where the city has invested in beautification efforts.

A sidewalk cafe permit sits on top of, not instead of, the general encroachment permit requirements in § 106-6(b)(1): a written request describing the location and duration, a map, and liability insurance naming the city as an additional insured. A denial can be appealed to the board of public works within ten days under § 106-6(e).