Fort Collins, CO Special Events & Permits: Sidewalk Dining & Cafés (2026)

Fort Collins does not run a separate 'sidewalk cafe' chapter; outdoor dining sits inside the City's obstruction and encroachment permit system in Chapter 23 of the Municipal Code. Sec. 23-48 adopts the City of Fort Collins Outdoor Dining Design Manual and gives it 'the same force and effect as though set forth herein,' meaning its layout, clearance, furniture and barrier rules bind a permittee exactly like any other section of the Code. A copy of the Manual is kept on file with the City Clerk and the City Engineering Department.

A restaurant placing tables on a public sidewalk, in a public parking space, or on a City right-of-way applies for an obstruction permit (Sec. ) or an encroachment permit (Sec. ) through the Director of Transportation Services. Because the use is for food or beverage service, the applicant must also carry at least $1,000,000 in liability insurance naming the City as an additional insured, renewed annually, and must hold any separate liquor license, floodplain use permit, building permit or Poudre Fire Authority permit the activity needs.

5 and cover the City's processing, inspection and enforcement costs. The City Engineer may adopt minor revisions to the Manual to protect public health and safety, but only if they do not add significant cost or materially change the standards permittees must meet; any revision must be documented and filed with the City Clerk. That limit on revision authority keeps a Manual update from becoming a backdoor way to impose an entirely new permit scheme without Council action.