Yellowstone County, MT Special Events & Permits: Sidewalk Dining & Cafés (2026)

P, Outdoor and Sidewalk Seating, part of Article 27-1000's accessory-use standards for unincorporated Yellowstone County. 1 lets an eating or drinking establishment add accessory outdoor seating, including rooftop seating, but the area cannot occupy required landscaping, required parking spaces, or parking-access aisles; if the outdoor seating exceeds 25 percent of the indoor floor area, that excess counts toward the site's required off-street parking and loading calculation; and the hours of the outdoor seating must match the hours of the indoor use. 2 adds separate conditions specifically for seating placed on a public sidewalk: the seating must be abutting and contiguous to the restaurant performing the food preparation and sanitation; it cannot be enclosed by fixed walls unless walls are needed to legally serve alcohol, and must otherwise stay open to the air, though a canopy is allowed; at least four feet of clear, unimpeded sidewalk must remain for pedestrians between the curb and the seating; the seating must sit at least five feet from any driveway or alley and ten feet from any intersection; and the curbs, alleys, sidewalks and rights-of-way around the seating must be kept clean and orderly. 2(g) notes an encroachment permit may also be required under the county's separate Road Policies.