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

Section 15-4 of the Novato Municipal Code sets the process for outdoor dining on the sidewalk in the Downtown Core, defined in section 15-4.3 as properties in the Downtown Core land use designation fronting on Grant Avenue and Redwood Boulevard. Outdoor uses include outdoor dining and seating areas for restaurants, merchandise displays, temporary freestanding signs and quasi-public improvements such as benches and planters.

Section 15-4.5 lets business owners enter a license agreement with the city on an approved city form, negotiated, executed and administered by the city engineer or designee. The use must conform to the design guidelines in the Downtown Novato Specific Plan and the standards in section 19.34.130. The agreement requires a zoning clearance and conditions: the licensee keeps the sidewalk safe and unobstructed for pedestrian access along the frontage, signs an indemnification agreement acceptable to the city attorney, and follows section 19.34.130 D for dining and seating areas. One temporary freestanding sign not exceeding six square feet in area, measured on one side of a sandwich board, is allowed per business.

The application includes a scaled plan showing the proposed location, size, number and type of display fixtures, signs or outdoor dining areas (15-4.6). Section 15-4.7 says the encroachment permit rule in section 15-2.4 does not apply to these sidewalk uses and that use permits are not required when the standards and conditions are in the license agreement.

Section 19.34.130 D adds dining standards: parking under Division 19.30, continual cleaning of litter and food items, waste receptacles for the public or employees, furniture and awnings compatible with the main structure's character, no obstruction of vehicular or pedestrian traffic flow, and design that mitigates noise and odor on nearby residential areas. Entertainment or amplified music can require a noise analysis. Dining areas in the Downtown Core Retail and Business districts reach the public right-of-way only through a license agreement under section 15-4.