Pasco, WA Special Events & Permits: Sidewalk Dining & Cafés (2026)

52 PMC bars any person from operating a cafe in the public place without a public space cafe permit issued by the Community and Economic Development Department. Only businesses already licensed to sell food or beverage in Pasco are eligible, and the building frontage must be on a street with a speed limit of 30 mph or less and must not be designated a freight corridor, unless the business sits within the downtown Pasco overlay district. 060 require the sidewalk cafe to preserve a pedestrian clear zone of at least three feet, and to install a perimeter barrier at least 30 inches tall on any side bordering a travel lane or parking lane, using planter boxes if desired.

If alcohol will be served, the barrier must be a temporary or permanent 42-inch barrier around the cafe, or the business may apply to the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board to use only demarcation cafe markers instead. Setbacks of five feet or more are required from curb ramps, traffic signs, utility poles, fire hydrants and bike racks, three feet or more from the front of the curb where the cafe abuts a parking lane, and 10 feet or more from a corner curb radius area.

Overhead features cannot extend into the travel lane and must clear at least eight feet over the sidewalk. Movable furniture must be cleared when the cafe is closed unless it is secured and stacked without obstructing the passageway, and applicants must carry $1,000,000 in liability insurance naming the City as additional insured. The permit expires automatically on a change of ownership, vacating the premises, or nonpayment of fees, unless a transfer is approved by the Community and Economic Development Department.