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Lynn, MA Special Events & Permits: Sidewalk Dining & Cafés (2026)

Some Restrictions

Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified September 2026

Key Facts

Street-line setback: 20 feet minimum
Adjacent-building setback: 8 feet minimum
Maximum duration: 8 months per 12-month period
Governing definition: Section 12.C.5.n.v "Outdoor dining"
Fine: $300 per violation per day

Summary

Lynn's Zoning Ordinance treats a restaurant's outdoor seating tent, canopy or pergola as a temporary structure: it must sit at least 20 feet from the street line and eight feet from a neighboring building, and can stay up no more than eight months in any 12-month period.

v. Outdoor dining: A temporary structure set up to provide sheltered outdoor seating and dining areas for patrons of a restaurant or café. These structures may include tents, canopies, pergolas, or similar enclosures. ... 2. General requirements: In all districts, Temporary structures and trailers may only be parked in an enclosed garage or positioned at least 20 feet from any street line and at least eight feet from any building on an adjacent lot. 3. Accessory use requirements: In districts where Temporary structures and trailers as an accessory is allowed, trailers, mobile homes, or similar structures may be parked on the premises for no more than eight months within any twelve-month period.

View official code

Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: the cited page had not changed since it was quoted.

Full Breakdown

C, 'Temporary structures and trailers,' governs outdoor dining setups under the 2025 Zoning Ordinance adopted by the City Council on June 24, 2025. v defines 'Outdoor dining' as 'a temporary structure set up to provide sheltered outdoor seating and dining areas for patrons of a restaurant or café,' including tents, canopies, pergolas, or similar enclosures. C's general requirements control: in every zoning district, a temporary structure may only be set up inside an enclosed garage, or positioned at least 20 feet from any street line and at least eight feet from any building on an adjacent lot.

3 caps how long the structure can stay: no more than eight months within any 12-month period. 4 for active-construction trailers does not apply to an outdoor dining tent. 5 clarifies these rules don't override any other applicable ordinance covering the same structure, so a restaurant's outdoor dining setup can still be subject to health, building, or licensing requirements outside the zoning code. The Building Commissioner enforces the setback and duration limits.

Violations & Fines

An outdoor dining structure placed closer than the 20-foot street setback or eight-foot building setback, or left up longer than eight months in a 12-month period, is a zoning violation under Section 11.B. The Building Commissioner can order it removed, and conviction carries a $300 fine per violation, with each day counted separately, under Section 11.B.3.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a Lynn restaurant set up an outdoor dining tent?

Yes, but the ordinance treats it as a temporary structure. Under Section 8.C.2, the tent, canopy or pergola must sit at least 20 feet from the street line and at least eight feet from any building on the adjacent lot.

How long can an outdoor dining structure stay up in Lynn?

No more than eight months within any 12-month period, per Section 8.C.3, in districts where temporary structures are allowed as an accessory use. After that window closes, the restaurant has to take the tent, canopy or pergola down before setting it back up for another season.

Does the outdoor dining rule apply everywhere in Lynn?

The 20-foot street and 8-foot building setbacks in Section 8.C.2 apply in every zoning district. Whether the structure can stay for the full eight months depends on whether that district's use table allows temporary structures as an accessory use.

What counts as 'outdoor dining' under Lynn's zoning code?

Section 12.C.5.n.v defines it as a temporary structure providing sheltered outdoor seating and dining for a restaurant or café's patrons, specifically naming tents, canopies, pergolas, or similar enclosures as covered structures under the ordinance's temporary structures chapter.

Sources & Official References

[1]City of Lynn Zoning Ordinance (v2025-12-09 as adopted), §§ 8.C, 12.C.5.n.v

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