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

The application filed with the director must show the applicant's name and signature, the business name and address, proposed hours of operation, a scaled plan of the permit area and sidewalk furnishings, and a mailing list of nearby property owners under Section 17.78.010. Once complete, the director schedules an administrative hearing within thirty days and mails or posts notice at least twelve days ahead; if no written concern arrives twenty-four hours before the hearing date, the hearing is cancelled and the director decides on the papers.

Design standards under Section 17.69.080 require a five-foot clear pedestrian path and set the permit area back at least twenty feet from an intersection, five feet from alleys, driveways, disabled-parking ramps, loading zones and bus zones, and three feet from parallel parking curbs and from traffic signs, hydrants, poles and meters; the director may require larger setbacks. Umbrellas and canopies need seven feet of clearance and must be nonmetallic and flame-proof. Section 17.69.090 limits hours to those of the primary business but bars any permit area from operating between 11:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m., bans smoking and amplified sound in the permit area, requires sit-down service only, and requires furnishings to be cleared, swept and stored out of public view each night.

A restaurant that wants to sell alcohol in its sidewalk seating needs a separate alcohol permit, a conditional use permit covering the outdoor area, a physical barrier approved by the director, and a current ABC on-sale license, and it cannot post any sign advertising alcohol in the permit area. Permittees must sign an indemnification agreement and carry insurance naming the city, set by the risk manager. The permit is annually renewed by written request and fee payment filed thirty days before expiration; missing either deadline lapses the permit and forces a brand-new application.