Taunton, MA Special Events & Permits: Sidewalk Dining & Cafés (2026)

Chapter 258, Article I of the Taunton Code, adopted July 13, 1982, puts sidewalk cafes under the Board of License Commissioners. Section 258-2 makes it unlawful to sell food or beverages on a street or sidewalk without a license. Under Section 258-3, an applicant files three copies of the cafe plans along with a $100 nonrefundable fee. The plans must show at least half the sidewalk, measured from the curbline to the cafe's edge, left open for pedestrian use, and that all utensils, containers and materials are nonglass.

A liquor license is required only if the operator wants to serve alcohol on the sidewalk; it is not a precondition for the underlying cafe license. Applicants also submit a Board of Health inspection certificate and proof of liability insurance naming the City as an additional insured, with 30 days' notice required before the policy can be cancelled. Section 258-4 gives the Board 30 days to approve or deny a completed application, and any approved license runs for a five-month season, from May through September, tied to a single location.

Section 258-5 lets the Board deny, suspend or revoke a license for fraud, misrepresentation, or operating the cafe as a public nuisance or danger to health or safety. Renewal applications cannot be filed before March 1 of the following year. unless the Board issues a special event permit.