Decatur, GA Special Events & Permits: Sidewalk Dining & Cafés (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit name
- Sidewalk table plan permit
- Issued with
- Alcohol beverage license, annually
- Review standard
- UDO Appendix A § 10.19.2
- Smoking buffer
- 5 feet from permitted tables
- Revocation authority
- City commission
- Mandatory since
- Jan. 1, 2012 new; Oct. 1, 2012 renewal
Summary
In the City of Decatur, Georgia, a restaurant that wants to put dining tables on the public sidewalk or a patio must get a sidewalk table plan permit. The permit is granted once a year as part of the establishment's alcohol beverage license application or renewal, not as a stand-alone approval.
(f)A sidewalk table plan permit, for the approval of the location of tables on city-owned right-of-way, will be granted annually as part of the alcohol beverage license new or renewal process and will be granted based on adherence to regulations for sidewalk table plans as stated in subsection (g) of this section. ... (2)The city manager or the city manager's designee shall review each permit based on the provisions of Appendix A of the zoning ordinance section 10.19.2.(3)Smoking is prohibited at tables included in a sidewalk table plan permit area and within five feet of any such area boundary. ... (5)Sidewalk table plan permits may be revoked by city commission for failure to adhere to established regulations.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 28).
Full Breakdown
City of Decatur Code of Ordinances § 6-22 folds outdoor dining into the alcohol licensing process rather than treating it as a separate land-use permit. Under subsection (f), a sidewalk table plan permit for tables placed on city-owned right-of-way is issued annually alongside the alcohol beverage license, new or renewal. 2 of the zoning ordinance, the outdoor seating standard in the Unified Development Ordinance. Smoking is banned at any table inside the permitted footprint and within five feet of its boundary. The city manager's office performs random, unannounced inspections of sidewalk and patio areas to confirm the approved plan is still being followed.
Separately, subsection (e) requires that any alcohol consumption or service on a deck, patio, or other unenclosed space tied to a licensed premises be reviewed and approved by the city, with an annual inspection covering capacity, ingress and egress, and public health protections. Because Decatur's downtown square is dense with outdoor dining, a restaurant operating tables on the sidewalk or patio without this dual review, both the zoning-based layout approval and the alcohol-license tie-in, is out of compliance even if it holds a general business license.
Sidewalk table plan permits became mandatory for new alcohol license applicants on January 1, 2012 and for renewal applicants on October 1, 2012, under Ordinance No. O-11-10.
Violations & Fines
The city commission may revoke a sidewalk table plan permit outright for failure to adhere to the established regulations, cutting off outdoor seating even if the underlying alcohol license stays valid. Operating tables on city right-of-way without an approved plan, or allowing smoking within the banned five-foot zone, is punishable under the Code's general penalty, Section 1-12: a fine of up to $1,000.00, imprisonment of up to six months, or both, with each day of continued violation charged as a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a Decatur restaurant need a separate permit for sidewalk tables?
What standard does Decatur use to approve a sidewalk table layout?
Can customers smoke at sidewalk café tables in Decatur?
What happens if a Decatur restaurant violates its sidewalk table permit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Decatur
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