Glen Cove, NY Special Events & Permits: Sidewalk Dining & Cafés (2026)

Chapter 200, adopted June 24, 1997, defines three tiers of outdoor seating: an 'outdoor cafe' wholly on private property, a 'sidewalk cafe' that uses part of a City sidewalk, and 'temporary convenience seating' accessory to a takeout shop, deli or bakery. Section 200-2 requires written approval from the Building Department Administrator before the City Clerk issues the license, and every license must be displayed in a window facing the street, expires one year after issuance, and cannot be transferred to a new owner. The applicant must be the business owner, and the landlord must sign a notarized consent form provided by the Clerk.

Section 200-2(C) requires liability insurance naming the City of Glen Cove as an additional insured, in amounts of at least $500,000 per person, $1,000,000 per incident, and $250,000 in property damage. No separate zoning special use permit is required so long as the licensee follows Chapter 200 and the rest of Chapter 280, Zoning, in the BDA's judgment. Section 200-3 limits total outdoor seating to 25% of the indoor restaurant's lawfully permitted maximum occupancy unless the Planning Board grants a special use permit after a public hearing.

Section 200-4 bars a sidewalk cafe from extending more than halfway to the curb or narrowing a clear path below five feet, and Section 200-8 bars any of the three seating types from occupying required off-street parking spaces without Planning Board site plan approval.