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

Sec. 33-168 titles Article VI of Chapter 33 the 'Outdoor Dining Ordinance,' and Sec. 33-169 limits it to establishments in the Midtown, Downtown and Museum Districts, defined by the exhibit map bounded generally by Memory Lane, Broadway, Flower, First, Spurgeon and French Streets. Sec. 33-171 makes it unlawful to install or maintain an outdoor dining area on a Santa Ana street or sidewalk without a license, requires a separate numbered license for each location, and caps licensing at one per site unless the executive director of the public works agency finds more than one reasonably necessary to accommodate patrons.

Operators with an outdoor dining agreement predating May 4, 1998 could extend it up to sixty months before having to convert to a Sec. 33-171 license. Sec. 33-172 requires a written application showing the proposed location and detailed plans and specifications, signed by the property owner or legal representative, accompanied by a nonrefundable processing fee set by council resolution. Sec. 33-173 charges a one-time nonrefundable license fee good for one year, renewable with an annual fee if the renewal application is filed at least thirty days before expiration, all past-due fees are current, and the licensee has complied with the Code.

An 'outdoor dining area' under Sec. 33-170 is the space immediately adjacent to a food service establishment where patrons consume food or beverages within the public right-of-way: the street, roadway, parkway or sidewalk owned or controlled by the city.