Middleton, WI Special Events & Permits: Sidewalk Dining & Cafés (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit issuer
- City Clerk
- Permit term
- April 15 to April 14
- Hydrant clearance
- 10 feet
- Walkway minimum
- 5 feet unobstructed
- Closing hours
- 1:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m.
Summary
Selling food at tables set up on a Middleton sidewalk, street terrace or other public right-of-way requires a sidewalk cafe permit issued by the City Clerk. Section 7.09 sets siting limits around hydrants, crosswalks and bus stops, a minimum five-foot walkway, and bars service between 1:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m.
(1)Sidewalk Cafes Regulated It shall be unlawful for any person to sell or offer to sell any food at a sidewalk café located upon any street, alley, sidewalk, public square, street terrace, or other public property, unless such person shall have first applied for an obtained a sidewalk café permit. ... (i)No sidewalk café shall be open for business between the hours of 1:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Municipal Code: Supplement 3 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
09(1) makes it unlawful to sell or offer food at a sidewalk cafe on any street, alley, sidewalk, public square, street terrace or other public property without first obtaining a sidewalk cafe permit from the City Clerk. The annual permit runs from April 15 to April 14 the following year, and the application must include a scale drawing of the site showing trees, poles, benches, grates and the exact placement of furniture and equipment, followed by design review from the Director of Planning and Community Development and a recommendation from the License and Ordinance Committee to the Common Council.
09(5) then sets the physical limits every cafe must respect: no part of the cafe may sit within ten feet of a fire hydrant, five feet of a standpipe, five feet of a bus shelter or stop, or ten feet of a curb cut or marked crosswalk, and the cafe must always leave a minimum five-foot unobstructed pedestrian walkway. m. 08, and alcohol service is then confined to seated customers with food available the whole time the cafe is open.
Violations & Fines
A sidewalk cafe operated without a permit, or one that breaks the siting or hour limits in Section 7.09(5), is subject to a forfeiture under Section 30.04 and can have its permit suspended for up to six months or revoked or non-renewed for up to a year by the Common Council after a hearing before the License and Ordinance Committee under Section 7.09(8).
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to put cafe tables on a Middleton sidewalk?
How close can sidewalk cafe tables be to a fire hydrant?
How late can a Middleton sidewalk cafe stay open?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Middleton
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Sidewalk Dining & Cafés in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Dane County handle sidewalk dining & cafés.