Merced, CA Special Events & Permits: Sidewalk Dining & Cafés (2026)

Chapter 12.36, Restaurant Encroachment Permits, lets a restaurant place tables, chairs, signs, racks, or other display or sale equipment on a public sidewalk or in a park once the city manager or a designee issues an encroachment permit, and Section 20.50.040 of the zoning code confirms that temporary sidewalk dining in the public right-of-way runs through this same Chapter 12.36 process. Section 12.36.030 requires the application to list the owner's name, address, social security number and driver's license number, plus a description of the tables, chairs and equipment and their proposed location.

Section 12.36.040 requires the permittee to carry at least $500,000 in property-damage coverage and $500,000 in personal-injury coverage (or a combined single limit of $500,000) naming the city as an additional insured, and Section 12.36.060 sets an annual public-property-use fee of $150 per permit. Section 12.36.070 confines the dining area to the space directly in front of the restaurant's own building frontage, requires a minimum five-foot clear path for pedestrians at all times, caps the depth at ten feet from the property line, forbids spanning more than one building frontage, and keeps the area at least ten feet from any driveway or alley approach.

Section 12.36.080 limits sales in the encroachment area to food and beverages, and Section 12.36.090 bars permanent structures and signs there and requires tables, chairs and equipment to come off the sidewalk during non-business hours. Alcohol service is allowed under Section 12.36.100 if the permittee otherwise complies with state alcohol law, and each permit expires December 31st every year and is revocable by the city council at any time under Section 12.36.020(B).