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

City Code Sec. 17 governs Outdoor Dining and Merchandise Displays placed in the public right-of-way within the Downtown Precise Plan, including the Castro Street pedestrian malls. No person may operate an Outdoor Patio there without first obtaining an Outdoor Patio License from the Public Works Director or designee, and the license only covers Permitted Activities that conform to the City's adopted Outdoor Patio Standards/Guidelines. The license can only be issued to the owner or person lawfully entitled to use the property tied to the location, though Council can adopt exceptions by resolution.

Applicants file with Public Works and pay a license fee set by Council resolution at submittal; incomplete applications are rejected outright. Every Outdoor Patio Licensee is on notice that the City can force removal or modification of the patio setup, at the licensee's expense, for special events, street cleaning, maintenance work or any city project, at the sole determination of the Public Works Director. The Director can deny, suspend or revoke a license for noncompliance with the City Code or the Standards/Guidelines, issuing written notice with reasons.

A licensee has ten business days to request a hearing before a Hearing Officer (any department head other than Public Works), who must set the hearing within one week and no later than thirty business days after the request, and must rule in writing within two weeks of the hearing; that decision is final. Licenses run for a one-year term from July 1 through June 30 and are nontransferable; licenses issued between November 1, 2023 and June 30, 2024 ran through June 30, 2025 as a one-time transition. Renewal applications are due at least thirty days before expiration, or the operator must start over with a brand-new application.