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

Sec. 25-181 makes operating a sidewalk café in Fort Lauderdale without a development services department permit unlawful, while confirming that a properly permitted café doesn't run afoul of the city's general obstruction rule in Sec. 25-4. Only the owner of a validly licensed, operating place of business adjacent to the sidewalk area may hold the permit, per Sec. 25-183(a), and both the initial application fee and the annual permit fee are set by city commission resolution and must stay current for the café to keep operating.

Sec. 25-184 requires the application to include the property owner's written consent, a current business tax receipt, a certificate of occupancy, proof of liability insurance, a scaled drawing of the proposed layout, and a maintenance and cleaning plan; Sec. 25-185 gives the director 30 days after a complete application to issue a letter of intent to approve or deny. Sec. 25-186 sets the physical standards: cafés are allowed only in zoning districts where they're a listed permitted or accessory use, must sit within the sidewalk area abutting the applicant's own property (or, under Sec.

25-187, along the North Fork of the New River), stay 5 feet clear of bus stops, taxi stands, and crosswalks, and must always leave a minimum 5-foot-wide clear pedestrian path. Sec. 25-188 requires at least $1,000,000 in combined bodily-injury and property-damage liability coverage naming the city as an additional insured. Permits run one year and renew annually under Sec. 25-189, furniture must clear the sidewalk whenever the business is closed, and no signage or business identification may be displayed. Sec. 25-190 lets the director deny, revoke, or suspend a permit for lapsed insurance or business licensing, unsafe congestion, or uncorrected violations, with an appeal to the city manager and then the city commission available within 10 days under Sec. 1.