Macon-Bibb County, GA Special Events & Permits: Sidewalk Dining & Cafés (2026)

Macon-Bibb County confines sidewalk dining to a defined footprint: Sec. 7-381 limits the 'Sidewalk Café District' to the area designated CBD-1, the Central Section of the Central Business District under the county's Comprehensive Land Development Resolution, and restricts eligible establishments to those offering 'Full Menu Food Service', meaning a broad restaurant menu served by a sufficient kitchen staff at least once a day, five days a week, with a current health department certificate of inspection. Sec. 7-382(a) requires a permit from the Tax Commissioner before operating tables and chairs on the public sidewalk, renewed annually, and the permit must be displayed on the establishment's street-level window in clear view from the sidewalk.

Sec. 00 per year, and Sec. 7-382(c) makes permits non-transferable, expiring on the earlier of a change of ownership, a change in the establishment's use, or December 31 of each year. Applications go to the Tax Commissioner's office under Sec. 7-383, with renewals due between September 1 and December 31; new applicants who file on or after July 1 for a permit expiring that December 31 get their fee cut in half. Sec. 7-385 sets the physical layout rules: a sidewalk must be at least 12 feet wide for a café on one side, or 19 feet wide for cafés on both the building and curb sides, with a minimum 4-foot clearance from the curb, or 6 feet if no alternate 6-foot pedestrian path exists. Sec. 7-384 requires ADA compliance, and Sec. 7-382(e) reserves the county's right to close any sidewalk it deems necessary.