Sidewalk Café Licenses
A business must have a Sidewalk Café license and revocable consent if it operates a portion of a restaurant or bar on a public sidewalk. As of 2024, Sidewalk Cafés are licensed through the DOT’s Dining Out! program, and not DCA (Dept. of Consumer Affairs).
Learn more about applying for a sidewalk café license
See the the DCA Sidewalk Café interactive map
CB6 Review Protocol
The community board’s review procedure begins after it receives copies of the application and architectural drawings from DOT. Once the CB6 district office receives the application from DOT, we then email the applicant, stating that a public hearing will be held at the next Business Affairs + Licenses committee meeting. The committee generally meets at 6:30 pm on the fourth Monday of the month.
The applicant, is requested to post a notice of the public hearing for community members to see, stating who the applicant is, the location of the establishment, and the date, time and place of the public hearing. View Brooklyn CB6’s Applicant Notification Standards.
The applicant is requested to bring:
- photographs and schematics of both the inside and outside of the establishment
- floor plans.
- Please provide the CB6 district office with a digital version of the prepared presentation.
DOT provides community boards with 45 days to review and make its determination on sidewalk café licenses. Applicants who are not prepared to appear at the community board’s public hearing must arrange to have the DOT hearing postponed.