Kokomo, IN Special Events & Permits: Sidewalk Dining & Cafés (2026)

Section 97.03(C), added by amendments through Ordinance 6713 in 2013, lets any fixed-location establishment regularly in the business of serving food and beverages for on-site consumption use the adjoining public sidewalk or pedestrian way for outside patron seating, subject to eleven numbered conditions. The President of the Kokomo Board of Public Works and Safety approves or disapproves permit applications, and no more than 50% of the sidewalk or pedestrian way width, measured perpendicularly from the building face, may be occupied by seating. Applicants must sign an indemnification agreement covering the city against liability claims, including attorney fees, and the Board may require certificates of insurance naming the city as an additional insured.

Permit holders are responsible for keeping order in the seating area; failing to do so is grounds for revocation or denial of future permits, and permits must be displayed on-site for inspection. A revoked permit holder cannot reapply until the following calendar year. Noncompliant permit holders are also subject to fines under § 97.99, the Chapter 97 penalty section. An applicant denied by the Board President may appeal to the full Board of Public Works and Safety, and every permit holder must also follow the Indiana Alcohol and Tobacco Commission's rules for outdoor seating if alcohol service is involved. Separately, § 97.03(D) bars any permanent or temporary signage in the right-of-way without notice-and-removal by the City Engineer.