Plymouth, MN Special Events & Permits: Sidewalk Dining & Cafés (2026)

07 governs temporary uses in the City Center District, and Subdivision 2 sets the outdoor dining standards a restaurant or bar must meet before serving customers outside. The business must provide adequate parking, including ADA-accessible spaces, and cannot place tables, chairs, or other dining fixtures inside any public right-of-way, meaning sidewalks, trails, boulevards, or streets, unless the city has granted specific approval for that encroachment. Even where allowed, the patio cannot occupy more than 600 square feet of any required off-street parking area, and it cannot block a required drive aisle or fire lane, both concerns the Plymouth Fire Department reviews.

Seating also cannot interfere with pedestrian walkways or impede ADA-accessible routes intended for the general public unless the operator provides an alternate accommodation. Because outdoor dining is listed only as an accessory, administrative-permit use in the CC District use table, the Community and Economic Development Department reviews and approves the layout before service can begin, and the section closes by requiring compliance with all of the city's separate standards and licensing requirements, including any food and beverage license the business already holds.