Oldham County, KY Special Events & Permits: Sidewalk Dining & Cafés (2026)

Oldham County Code § 110.039 lets a food establishment operating a restaurant, and licensed under the county's alcohol chapter and the State ABC Code, ask the County ABC Administrator for permission to expand onto the part of the public sidewalk that immediately adjoins the licensed premises, called a sidewalk cafe. Licensees that do not serve food cannot apply. Nine conditions attach to any permit granted: a minimum 36 inch pedestrian clearance must stay open on the sidewalk at all times, and the cafe cannot obstruct the restaurant's entrance/exit or encroach on a neighboring business.

Only plant tubs may remain on the sidewalk when the cafe is closed; tables, chairs and other furnishings must be confined to the approved area and kept clean and sanitary while operating. The use is non-exclusive: public improvements such as trees, light poles, traffic signals, pull boxes and manholes, plus any public maintenance work, take precedence over the cafe at all times. The licensee must ensure alcohol is consumed only by of-age patrons of the establishment, never by passers-by, and disposable cups are barred, as is any alcohol leaving the premises.

Music from the premises cannot become a nuisance. Permits cannot be assigned or transferred and are void unless the licensee files proof of liability insurance with the County ABC Administrator, at least $500,000 per person for bodily injury and $1,000,000 per occurrence for property damage, naming the county as an additional insured, with cancellation requiring ten days' written notice to the Administrator.