Norfolk, VA Special Events & Permits: Sidewalk Dining & Cafés (2026)

1 defines an outdoor dining area as space entirely within the public right-of-way used for dining as an activity ancillary to a nearby restaurant, and sorts permits into three durations: a pop-up space lasting up to 72 consecutive hours, a seasonal space lasting up to four consecutive months and renewable twice, and a semi-permanent space lasting up to three consecutive years and renewable indefinitely. Every application needs written consent from the property owner where the affiliated restaurant sits, and seasonal or semi-permanent spaces additionally need a signed operation and management agreement approved by both the public works director and the city attorney.

Installation standards require six feet of unobstructed pedestrian passage around the structure, forbid locating on a street posted above 25 miles per hour, cap total sign area at two square feet, and limit each restaurant to one dining area and no more than five pop-up spaces per calendar year. , require seating for at least 80 percent of occupant capacity, forbid amplified music or entertainment, ban smoking or vaping anywhere in the area, and prohibit open-flame cooking. Permittees must carry $1,000,000 in liability coverage for injury or death and $50,000 for property damage, naming the City of Norfolk as an additional insured, and must remove the structure within three business days after the permit expires or the city may remove it and bill the permittee.