New Braunfels, TX Special Events & Permits: Sidewalk Dining & Cafés (2026)

Sec. 114-10(a) makes it unlawful to erect fencing, barriers or other objects on a sidewalk to create an outdoor eating or drinking area in the street right-of-way without a permit approved by the planning and community development department. Subsection (b) confines sidewalk cafes to a defined downtown area: both sides of San Antonio Street from the Comal River to Walnut Avenue, Seguin Avenue from Zink Street to Business 35/Elliott Knox Boulevard, Castell Avenue from Business 35 to Mill Street, and all of Main Plaza. A building occupant or property owner there applies to the downtown development coordinator for a one-year, personal, non-transferrable permit, renewable annually, with fees set in Appendix D of the code.

The cafe must sit directly in front of the business's own storefront and stay within it. Design rules are specific: the clear path of travel must be at least six feet, including a three-foot concrete clear visual zone, though the city engineer can require more or, in limited cases, allow less; umbrellas may extend into that path only above seven feet, and any part of an umbrella cannot exceed ten feet total height. Fencing used as a barrier must be 36 to 42 inches high, at least half open, metal, and set no more than 27 inches off the sidewalk, with core-drilled or solid sheet fencing barred outright.

Planters top out at 42 inches and must hold live plants, not artificial ones. Furniture is limited to tables, chairs and umbrellas; other items such as serving stations, bar counters, sofas, televisions and trash receptacles are prohibited, and extension cords running to the cafe area are also barred. Permit holders must carry insurance the downtown development coordinator approves before starting, and the operator must keep the sidewalk clear and in ADA-compliant repair for the life of the permit.