Glendale, CA Special Events & Permits: Sidewalk Dining & Cafés (2026)

035 requires any restaurant, counter-service or fast-food restaurant, full-service restaurant, or tavern, as those uses are defined in Sec. 190 and Sec. 210, to hold an annual encroachment permit before placing tables, chairs or other furniture on a public sidewalk or paseo, in addition to meeting the general encroachment-permit requirements of Sec. 030. The establishment must front a street or paseo, pay a nonrefundable permit fee plus an annual nonrefundable renewal fee set by council resolution, and display its sidewalk-dining business registration certificate at the location; the permit itself is nontransferable.

Beyond the clear-path, vertical-clearance and curb-setback numbers, furniture and equipment cannot be attached to the sidewalk surface or damage it, and the director of public works sets the maximum number of tables and chairs allowed. Smoking is banned in a sidewalk dining facility under Sec. 030, and the space cannot be counted toward an outdoor designated smoking area elsewhere. Alcohol service is allowed only if the business holds an ABC license, posts a sign reading 'Alcoholic Beverage Consumption Is Permitted Only Within Designated Sidewalk or Paseo Dining Facilities.

C. 140,' and encloses the area with removable physical barriers approved by the director of public works to prevent unrestricted entry; no freestanding signage may advertise alcohol service, though a closable beverage menu is allowed. A permit holder must also carry at least $1,000,000 in commercial general liability coverage per occurrence, with a $2,000,000 aggregate if the policy carries one, naming the city as an additional insured.