Long Branch, NJ Special Events & Permits: Sidewalk Dining & Cafés (2026)

City of Long Branch Code § 181-15, adopted by Ordinance No. 28-99 in 1999 and amended in 2006, permits sidewalk cafes and restaurants only in commercial zones, and bars them next to a residential use unless the cafe predates that residential use. No person may establish, own or operate a sidewalk cafe, or serve food, liquor or other beverages on any public street, sidewalk, boardwalk, promenade or alleyway, without a license from the City Clerk, and a valid mercantile restaurant/food service license is a prerequisite.

Under § 181-16, the Director of Public Safety investigates each application, reviewing pedestrian and emergency access, traffic flow, fire zones, and a required scaled drawing of the proposed layout, plus a Health Department report on food storage and restroom facilities; if alcohol will be served, the applicant must also get City Council approval to extend its liquor license to the sidewalk area and install a physical barrier separating alcohol service from public pedestrian paths. Denials may be appealed in writing to the Mayor and Council within seven days.

Section 181-17 sets an application fee of $50 and a tiered annual license fee: $25 for one to four tables, $50 for five to eight tables, and $100 for more than eight tables. Under § 181-18, as amended in 2024, the operating season runs no earlier than March 1 through no later than November 30. Section 181-22 requires the licensee to carry $1,000,000 in liability insurance naming the City as an additional insured, with proof filed at least 15 days before the policy expires.