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

Municipal Code § 18.12.140 sets the permit path and operating rules for permanent outdoor seating at La Habra restaurants. Under subsection A, an outdoor dining area that is fifty percent or less of the restaurant's total floor area needs only an administrative adjustment, while a larger outdoor area requires a modification to the restaurant's conditional use permit, and subsection B.5 adds that the larger tier must include a parking study from a California-licensed civil or traffic engineer. Alcohol service outdoors follows the same size split under B.2: a restaurant already permitted to serve alcohol inside can extend that service outdoors through an administrative adjustment for the smaller tier or a CUP modification for the larger tier, while a restaurant with no existing alcohol CUP must apply for one covering both indoor and outdoor service.

Subsection B bars display of merchandise, furnishings that block vehicle sightlines, amplified music or live entertainment, and any outdoor dining located within the front or street-side setback, and requires clear access to fire hydrants, fire lanes and building exits plus approval from the Orange County Health Care Agency. Subsection C forbids temporary tents or canopies and requires any fencing or enclosure to be durable and architecturally compatible. Applications under subsection D must include the adjustment or modification form, the master fee schedule fee, a scaled site plan, a scaled floor plan showing tables, lighting and fencing, a public-notice radius map, and proposed hours of operation. Subsection E ties noncompliance to suspension or revocation of the approval under § 18.66.100.