Southampton Village, NY Special Events & Permits: Sidewalk Dining & Cafés (2026)

Chapter A122 of the Village of Southampton Code, adopted by the Board of Trustees on June 21, 2005 and amended by Local Law No. 5-2026 on April 21, 2026, lets a business use the Village sidewalk for outdoor dining only after it obtains a license from Village Code Enforcement (§ A122-1). To qualify under § A122-2, the business must lawfully serve food for consumption at indoor dining seats and hold a valid Certificate of Occupancy, and it must sit in a building adjacent to or in close proximity to a Village sidewalk. A retail store or shop whose primary activity is selling food for off-premises consumption can qualify if it lawfully serves food at indoor dining seats as an accessory use.

The application (§ A122-3) includes a plan showing the layout, with the number and location of tables and chairs, the number of indoor dining seats, the application fee, a certificate of insurance and a signed and acknowledged indemnification. Under § A122-17 the application fee is $500, plus a set-up fee of $5 per square foot of area used, calculated as length times width. The license term runs from April 1, or the issuance date if later, to December 31. It is personal to the business and cannot be transferred or assigned, and the license and seating plan must be displayed prominently on the premises.

The layout rules are specific. The dining area sits in front of the licensed business, no more than six feet from the front of the building unless the Village Building Inspector approves, and within the building's width (§ A122-4). Section A122-5 requires an unobstructed sidewalk width of at least six feet, and at least three feet alongside the curb wherever on-street parking is present. The area stays open to the sky except for a retractable awning, cannot be fenced or railed (velvet ropes are allowed), and outdoor seats cannot exceed 20% of indoor seats, with indoor seats reduced correspondingly (§ A122-8). Hours are 7:00 a.m. to 12:00 midnight (§ A122-9), and § A122-16 requires public liability insurance of at least $1,000,000 naming the Village as an additional insured.