Lubbock, TX Special Events & Permits: Sidewalk Dining & Cafés (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit type
- Temporary Permitted Use (TP), Director of Planning approval
- Duration code
- 1/365 - permitted every day of the year
- Barrier required
- 3 ft minimum wall/fence between dining area and ROW
- Sidewalk encroachment
- Requires Sidewalk Use License in Mixed-Use districts
- Prohibited districts
- Base Residential; HC, IP, LI, GI industrial
- Waste service
- Outdoor receptacles required, regularly serviced
Summary
Lubbock treats sidewalk cafes as a temporary use: outdoor dining is a Temporary Permitted Use ("TP") in Mixed-Use, Neighborhood Commercial, Office, and Apartment/Condominium districts under UDC § 39.02.021(g)(4), allowed every day of the year. A minimum three-foot barrier must separate the dining area from the right-of-way, and any encroachment onto the public sidewalk requires a separate Sidewalk Use License.
Outdoor dining / Subsection g.4 / 1/365 / — / TP / TP / TP / — [Table 39.02.021-1 columns: Standards, Duration, Base Residential, Base Mixed-Use, NC/OF, AC, HC/IP/LI/GI] ... 4. Outdoor dining. A. A decorative wall, fence, or other similar barrier that is a minimum of three feet in height, shall be provided and maintained between an outdoor dining area and a right-of-way. In the Mixed-Use districts, the barrier shall be designed to permit access from the building to the adjacent public right-of-way. B. Outdoor waste and recycling receptacles for customers shall be provided, conveniently located, regularly serviced, and maintained. C. In the Mixed-Use districts, outdoor dining may encroach into a public right-of-way upon approval of a Sidewalk Use License.
Full Breakdown
021-1 of the Unified Development Code classifies "Outdoor dining" with a duration code of "1/365," which the table's own key defines as the maximum days per event over the maximum events per year on one site, meaning, per the code's example, that outdoor dining is permitted every day of the year on the same site. The use is a Temporary Permitted Use (TP) requiring Director of Planning approval in the Base Mixed-Use districts and in the Neighborhood Commercial/Office (NC, OF) and Apartment/Condominium (AC) districts, but it is prohibited (marked "—") in Base Residential districts and in the Heavy Commercial, Industrial Park, Light Industrial, and General Industrial (HC, IP, LI, GI) districts.
4's standards require a decorative wall, fence, or similar barrier at least three feet tall between the dining area and any right-of-way; in the Mixed-Use districts that barrier must still allow access from the building to the adjacent public right-of-way. Operators must also provide outdoor waste and recycling receptacles that are conveniently located, regularly serviced, and maintained. C limits right-of-way encroachment to the Mixed-Use districts, where outdoor dining may extend into the public right-of-way only upon approval of a Sidewalk Use License. 006.
Violations & Fines
Outdoor dining set up without the required Temporary Permitted Use approval, or that encroaches on the sidewalk or right-of-way without a Sidewalk Use License or Right-of-Way Use License, is an unpermitted temporary use under the UDC. The Director of Planning administers TP approvals and can withhold or revoke approval, and the city can require removal of noncompliant seating, barriers, or encroachments and restoration of the site.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a Lubbock restaurant need a permit for outdoor dining?
Can a Lubbock cafe put tables on the public sidewalk?
What barrier does Lubbock require around an outdoor dining area?
Where is outdoor dining not allowed in Lubbock?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lubbock
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