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

Section 4.02.040 of the Lafayette Municipal Code makes it unlawful for a person to engage in cafe activity on a sidewalk in the public right-of-way without first being registered with the City Controller, with 'cafe activity' defined in Section 4.02.030 as the retail sale of beverages or food, or providing a place to consume them. Registration is handled under Section 4.02.050: the City Controller approves the registration and issues a certificate once the applicant meets several conditions. The public sidewalk area next to the applicant's abutting retail property must measure at least nine feet, seven inches from the curb edge to the property line.

The cafe area's dimensions need City Engineer approval and cannot reduce the effective walkway width for pedestrians below four feet, and no part of the cafe area may sit within twelve feet of a street intersection, six feet of a fire hydrant, or five feet of a crosswalk, driveway, or alleyway. The applicant must be actively engaged in selling the same beverages or food in the abutting retail property, whose floor area must exceed the cafe area's size. The City Engineer sets the days and hours cafe activity is allowed.

The applicant must carry a $1,000,000 certificate of public liability insurance naming the City of Lafayette as co-insured, and must sign an indemnification agreement and submit a scale drawing of tables, chairs, awnings, and other fixtures for City Engineer approval. Registration under Section 4.02.100 lasts one year and, per Section 4.02.110, renews automatically absent changed conditions, revocation, or suspension. The Board of Public Works and Safety can forbid cafe use during a special event under Section 4.02.080(H).