PhotobyMVJantzen

Muriel C. Bowser, Mayor

S I D E W A L K C A F ÉSAn overview of the regulations governing sidewalk cafés and of the review process for obtaining a sidewalk café permit.

ThewidesidewalksfoundinWashington,DC,commercialareasarewellsuitedforsidewalkcafés.Cafésareoneofthebestwaystoactivatecitystreetsandenhancethecharacterofneighborhoods.Sidewalkcafésarewhereresidentsandvisitorcanenjoygoodfoodandgoodweather,whileenjoyingourbeautifulcity.TheDistrictencouragesrestaurantsandotherqualify‐ingbusinessesto,whereverfeasible,opensidewalkcafés.Sincesidewalksarepri‐marilyintendedforpedestriansandregu‐latedbytheDistrictDepartmentofTransportation(DDOT)aspartofthecity’stransportationnetwork,theDistrictreviewseachsidewalkcaféapplicationtomakesureminimumrequirementsforclearsidewalksandseatingarefollowed.Thisguaranteesthatcafésareawelcom‐ingandsafeadditiontocitystreets.

Regulations for Enclosed and Unenclosed Sidewalk Cafés

Permit Requirements Nopersoncanoperateasidewalkcafé

inpublicspaceuntiltheyareissuedaSidewalkCaféPermitandaCertificateofUseforacafé(DCMR24‐301.2).Sidewalkcafépermitsareissuedtopropertyown‐ersonly,andeachapplicationforacafémustbesignedandapprovedbytheownerofthepropertyabuttingthepublicspacetobeoccupiedbythecafé(DCMR24‐303.3).

Seating Capacity Sidewalkcafésmusthave15square

feetforeveryseatwithintheirseatingarea.Thenumberofseatswithinaside‐walkcaféisdeterminedbydividingthetotalsquarefeetofthecaféby15.(ThePublicSpaceCommitteeusesthestandardforindoorrestaurantseatingestablishedintheInternationalBuildingCode,Section1004.1and1004.2,Table1004.1.1)

Furnishing and Fixtures

Allfurnishingsandfixtures,suchaschairs,tables,umbrellas,andlights,mustbenon‐permanentandremovablewithin

floorceilingoftheadjoiningbuilding,whicheverisless(DCMR24‐315.2,24‐315.3,and24‐315.4).

Fences and Planters

Theheightofarailing,fence,orplanter(includingvegetation)aroundasidewalkcafécannotbehigherthan36inches(DCMR24‐315.5).

Flooring

Artificialturf,carpet,platforms,oranyothersurfacecoverinasidewalkcaféisallowedonthefloorareaonlywhenspe‐cificallyapprovedbytheFireChiefandthePublicSpaceCommittee(DCMR24‐315.6).

Approval Process

Sidewalkcafésoccupypublicspacethatistypicallysetasideforpedestrians.Tomakesuretheinterestofthepublicisprotected,applicationsarereviewedbymultipleDistrictagenciesandthelocalAdvisoryNeighborhoodCommission.Theapplicationprocesstakesseveralweeks.

WhiletheDistrictstronglysupportssidewalkcafésinpublicspace,applicantsmustmeetminimumstandardsforanapplicationtobeapproved.Insomeloca‐tionspublicspaceconstraintsmakeitimpossibletoapproveasidewalkcafé.

SidewalkcafépermitsareobtainedfromtheDDOTPublicSpacePermitOfficeafterapprovalbythePublicSpaceCommittee.TobeconsideredbythePublicSpaceCommittee,allapplicantsmustsubmitacompletedpublicspaceapplicationtoDDOT’sPublicSpacePermitOffice.ThePublicSpaceCommitteemeetsonthe4thThursdayofeachmonth‐meetingdatesanddeadlinesforfilingpermitsarepostedonDDOT’swebsite.CafépermitsthatcomplywithallregulationsandhavenooutstandingissuesmaybeapprovedontheCommittee’sconsentagenda.

Somesidewalkcafésmayneedmorethanonepermit:

• PublicSpaceSidewalkCaféPermitforRental‐allapplications

• SidewalkCaféCertificateofUsefromDirectoroftheDepartmentof

ConsumerandRegulatoryAffairs(DCRA)‐allapplications

• BuildingPermit(enclosedcafésonly‐seeDCMR12:314.3)

• ElectricPermit(caféswithlightingorelectricalfixtures–DCElectricalCode110‐50,410,430)

• ABClicense(sidewalkcafésservingalcohol)

For More Information…

ContactDDOT’sPublicSpacePermitOfficeat202.442.4670tolearnmoreaboutsidewalkcaféapplicationrequirementsandthePublicSpaceCommitteereviewprocess.ContacttheDCOfficeofPlanning’sPublicSpaceProgramat202.442.7600tolearnmoreabouturbandesignoptionstoconsiderwhendevelopingplansforthelocationandlayoutofsidewalkcafés.

Enclosed cafés must have transparentwalls.

24hours.Furnishingsandfixturesshouldbearrangedsotheydonotobstructres‐taurantdoorsandprovideexitaislesforeachdoor(DCMR24‐210.1,24‐312.2,and24‐312.3).Outdoorseatingmustbecountedin

satisfyingrestroomrequirements,includ‐ing,butnotlimitedto,quantity,access,andlocation(DCMR24‐314.7).Trashcansandotherrefusestoragecon‐

tainersmaynotbelocatednearsidewalkcafés(DCMR24‐314.9and24‐314.10).Thefloorofasidewalkcafémustbeatthe

sameelevationastheexistingsurfacespace.Inorderforthefloorofthesidewalkcafétobeatgrade,afloormaybeconstructedifitislessthan18inchesabovewherethecafémeetswiththeadjoiningclearsidewalkspace(DCMR24‐312.5and24‐312.6).Clear Sidewalk Space and Location

Sidewalkcafésmusthaveanadjacentclearandunobstructedpassagewaynotlessthan10feetinwidthatallpoints.However,thePublicSpaceCommitteehastheauthoritytoapproveanadjacentpas‐sagewaynolessthan6feet(DCMR24‐204.1,204.2,and316.9).Iflocatedatstreetintersectionscafésmustprovideclearanceof10feettothecorner.Nosidewalkcafésshallbewithin15feetofabusstop,abusshelter,oraMetrorailstationentrance(24‐311.6and24‐311.7.7).

Theclearsidewalkspaceismeasuredfromthefarthestextendedportionofthesidewalkcaféfrontagetothecurblineorthenearestobstruction,whicheverisnearesttothesidewalkcafé.Forthepur‐poseofdeterminingclearsidewalkspace,trees,streetlightpoles,signpoles,firehydrants,andotherobjectslocatedonthesurfacespaceareconsideredobstruc‐tions;treeboxeswithtreegratesflushwiththesidewalkarenotconsideredobstructions(24‐311.1and24‐311.5).

Food and Serving Standards

Foodcannotbestoredorpreparedinthesidewalkcafé(DCMR24‐314.3).

Display of Permit Thepermitforacafémustbedis‐

playedinaconspicuouslocationonthefrontoftheassociatedbusinesswhereitcanbeseenfromthesidewalkandvisibleinsuchawaythatitislegibletoapersononthepublicspaceinfrontofthebusi‐ness(DCMR24‐207.13). Additional Regulations for Enclosed Sidewalk Cafés

Dates and Conditions for Enclosures Exceptfordaysthatareunseasonably

cold,unseasonablywarm,orrainy,side‐walkcafésmaybeenclosedfromOctober15throughMay15only.

AsidewalkcafémaybeenclosedonanydaywhentheNationalWeatherServicepredictsat8:00a.m.attheReaganNationalAirportweatherstationthat,withinthenext24hours,thetemperaturemaygoabove90degreesFahrenheitorbelow60degreesFahrenheit,orifthechanceofrainis50percentormore,orintheeventofrain(DCMR24‐210.6and24‐210.7).Weatherinformationisavailableatwww.weather.gov/washington.

Enclosing Structure Anenclosedsidewalkcafémayutilizea

basewallofopaquematerialuptoamaximumheightof36inchesfromthesidewalklevel.Allenclosingwalls,doors,andwindows(butnotstructuralmem‐bers)abovethebasewallmustbeatrans‐parentmaterial.Tofurthermaximizetransparency,boththehorizontalandver‐ticalstructuralmembersmustbenomorethan10incheswide(DCMR24‐210.2,24‐210.3,and24‐210.4).

Wallsandothermaterialsofanen‐closedsidewalkcafémustbeofnon‐combustibleorfire‐resistantmaterials.Awningsorcanopiesmustbeflame‐retardant.Theflooringmustalsobefire‐resistant(DCMR24‐316.2and24‐316.5).Thesupportingstructureofanyenclosedcafémustbeconstructedtosupportatleast30poundspersquarefootliveload(DCMR24‐316.6).

Whenrequiredtobeunenclosed,anenclosedsidewalkcafémustbeoperatedwithallofitswindowsopenedandsothattheenclosedsidewalkcaféisnotenclosedfromthe36inchbaseto8feetabovethesidewalk.Theonlyitemsallowedbetween

thefence/wallandtheceilingarethemembersholdingorframinganywindows(DCMR24‐316.10).Fixtures

Noplumbingfixturesareallowedtoin‐stalledinanenclosedsidewalkcafé.Heat‐ing,air‐conditioning,ventilation,andelec‐tricallightingmaybeinstalled,whenauthorizedaspartofthesidewalkcafépermit,inaccordancewiththeapplicableDistrictcodesandregulations(DCMR24‐210.5).

Location and Configuration

Noenclosedsidewalkcafécanprojectmorethan20feetfromthebuildingline,oroccupymorethan60percentofavailablesurfacespace.(DCMR24‐210.8).

Whenthecombinedoccupanciesoftheenclosedsidewalkcaféandtheadja‐centrestaurantexceed75people,twoexitsshallbeprovidedfromtheenclosedsidewalkcafé:oneisrequiredtoopendirectlyfromthesidewalk,publicalley,orpublicspaceabuttingtheenclosedside‐walkcaféandonemayopenintotheabuttingrestaurant.Iftwoexitsarere‐quiredfortheadjacentbusinessproperty,twoexitsarealsorequiredfortheen‐closedsidewalkcafé(DCMR24‐316.7and24‐316.8).

Additional Regulations for Unenclosed Cafés Only

Awnings and Umbrellas Theawning,canopy,orumbrellasofan

unenclosedsidewalkcafémustbeade‐quatelysecured,retractable,orremovable.Framingmustbemadeorconstructedofnon‐combustibleorfire‐resistantmateri‐als.Thematerialusedtocovertheframingmustbeflame‐retardantandapprovedbytheFireChief.Theheightoftheawningofanunenclosedsidewalkcafémustnotbelowerthan8feetfromthefloorofthesidewalkcafé.Thevalanceoftheawningcannotexceed12feetandnotexceedahorizontalplaneextendingfromthefirst

Unenclosedcafésareopentotheskyandallsides.

Sidewalkcafésneedtoallowadequatespaceforpedestrians.

24hours.Furnishingsandfixturesshouldbearrangedsotheydonotobstructres‐taurantdoorsandprovideexitaislesforeachdoor(DCMR24‐210.1,24‐312.2,and24‐312.3).Outdoorseatingmustbecountedin

satisfyingrestroomrequirements,includ‐ing,butnotlimitedto,quantity,access,andlocation(DCMR24‐314.7).Trashcansandotherrefusestoragecon‐

tainersmaynotbelocatednearsidewalkcafés(DCMR24‐314.9and24‐314.10).Thefloorofasidewalkcafémustbeatthe

sameelevationastheexistingsurfacespace.Inorderforthefloorofthesidewalkcafétobeatgrade,afloormaybeconstructedifitislessthan18inchesabovewherethecafémeetswiththeadjoiningclearsidewalkspace(DCMR24‐312.5and24‐312.6).Clear Sidewalk Space and Location

Sidewalkcafésmusthaveanadjacentclearandunobstructedpassagewaynotlessthan10feetinwidthatallpoints.However,thePublicSpaceCommitteehastheauthoritytoapproveanadjacentpas‐sagewaynolessthan6feet(DCMR24‐204.1,204.2,and316.9).Iflocatedatstreetintersectionscafésmustprovideclearanceof10feettothecorner.Nosidewalkcafésshallbewithin15feetofabusstop,abusshelter,oraMetrorailstationentrance(24‐311.6and24‐311.7.7).

Theclearsidewalkspaceismeasuredfromthefarthestextendedportionofthesidewalkcaféfrontagetothecurblineorthenearestobstruction,whicheverisnearesttothesidewalkcafé.Forthepur‐poseofdeterminingclearsidewalkspace,trees,streetlightpoles,signpoles,firehydrants,andotherobjectslocatedonthesurfacespaceareconsideredobstruc‐tions;treeboxeswithtreegratesflushwiththesidewalkarenotconsideredobstructions(24‐311.1and24‐311.5).

Food and Serving Standards

Foodcannotbestoredorpreparedinthesidewalkcafé(DCMR24‐314.3).

Display of Permit Thepermitforacafémustbedis‐

playedinaconspicuouslocationonthefrontoftheassociatedbusinesswhereitcanbeseenfromthesidewalkandvisibleinsuchawaythatitislegibletoapersononthepublicspaceinfrontofthebusi‐ness(DCMR24‐207.13). Additional Regulations for Enclosed Sidewalk Cafés

Dates and Conditions for Enclosures Exceptfordaysthatareunseasonably

cold,unseasonablywarm,orrainy,side‐walkcafésmaybeenclosedfromOctober15throughMay15only.

AsidewalkcafémaybeenclosedonanydaywhentheNationalWeatherServicepredictsat8:00a.m.attheReaganNationalAirportweatherstationthat,withinthenext24hours,thetemperaturemaygoabove90degreesFahrenheitorbelow60degreesFahrenheit,orifthechanceofrainis50percentormore,orintheeventofrain(DCMR24‐210.6and24‐210.7).Weatherinformationisavailableatwww.weather.gov/washington.

Enclosing Structure Anenclosedsidewalkcafémayutilizea

basewallofopaquematerialuptoamaximumheightof36inchesfromthesidewalklevel.Allenclosingwalls,doors,andwindows(butnotstructuralmem‐bers)abovethebasewallmustbeatrans‐parentmaterial.Tofurthermaximizetransparency,boththehorizontalandver‐ticalstructuralmembersmustbenomorethan10incheswide(DCMR24‐210.2,24‐210.3,and24‐210.4).

Wallsandothermaterialsofanen‐closedsidewalkcafémustbeofnon‐combustibleorfire‐resistantmaterials.Awningsorcanopiesmustbeflame‐retardant.Theflooringmustalsobefire‐resistant(DCMR24‐316.2and24‐316.5).Thesupportingstructureofanyenclosedcafémustbeconstructedtosupportatleast30poundspersquarefootliveload(DCMR24‐316.6).

Whenrequiredtobeunenclosed,anenclosedsidewalkcafémustbeoperatedwithallofitswindowsopenedandsothattheenclosedsidewalkcaféisnotenclosedfromthe36inchbaseto8feetabovethesidewalk.Theonlyitemsallowedbetween

thefence/wallandtheceilingarethemembersholdingorframinganywindows(DCMR24‐316.10).Fixtures

Noplumbingfixturesareallowedtoin‐stalledinanenclosedsidewalkcafé.Heat‐ing,air‐conditioning,ventilation,andelec‐tricallightingmaybeinstalled,whenauthorizedaspartofthesidewalkcafépermit,inaccordancewiththeapplicableDistrictcodesandregulations(DCMR24‐210.5).

Location and Configuration

Noenclosedsidewalkcafécanprojectmorethan20feetfromthebuildingline,oroccupymorethan60percentofavailablesurfacespace.(DCMR24‐210.8).

Whenthecombinedoccupanciesoftheenclosedsidewalkcaféandtheadja‐centrestaurantexceed75people,twoexitsshallbeprovidedfromtheenclosedsidewalkcafé:oneisrequiredtoopendirectlyfromthesidewalk,publicalley,orpublicspaceabuttingtheenclosedside‐walkcaféandonemayopenintotheabuttingrestaurant.Iftwoexitsarere‐quiredfortheadjacentbusinessproperty,twoexitsarealsorequiredfortheen‐closedsidewalkcafé(DCMR24‐316.7and24‐316.8).

Additional Regulations for Unenclosed Cafés Only

Awnings and Umbrellas Theawning,canopy,orumbrellasofan

unenclosedsidewalkcafémustbeade‐quatelysecured,retractable,orremovable.Framingmustbemadeorconstructedofnon‐combustibleorfire‐resistantmateri‐als.Thematerialusedtocovertheframingmustbeflame‐retardantandapprovedbytheFireChief.Theheightoftheawningofanunenclosedsidewalkcafémustnotbelowerthan8feetfromthefloorofthesidewalkcafé.Thevalanceoftheawningcannotexceed12feetandnotexceedahorizontalplaneextendingfromthefirst

Unenclosedcafésareopentotheskyandallsides.

Sidewalkcafésneedtoallowadequatespaceforpedestrians.

PhotobyMVJantzen

Vincent C. Gray, Mayor

S I D E W A L K C A F ÉS An overview of the regulations governing sidewalk cafés and of the review process for obtaining a sidewalk café permit.

ThewidesidewalksfoundinWashington,DC,commercialareasarewellsuitedforsidewalkcafés.Cafésareoneofthebestwaystoactivatecitystreetsandenhancethecharacterofneighborhoods.Sidewalkcafésarewhereresidentsandvisitorcanenjoygoodfoodandgoodweather,whileenjoyingourbeautifulcity.TheDistrictencouragesrestaurantsandotherqualify‐ingbusinessesto,whereverfeasible,opensidewalkcafés.Sincesidewalksarepri‐marilyintendedforpedestriansandregu‐latedbytheDistrictDepartmentofTransportation(DDOT)aspartofthecity’stransportationnetwork,theDistrictreviewseachsidewalkcaféapplicationtomakesureminimumrequirementsforclearsidewalksandseatingarefollowed.Thisguaranteesthatcafésareawelcom‐ingandsafeadditiontocitystreets.

Regulations for Enclosed and Unenclosed Sidewalk Cafés

Permit Requirements Nopersoncanoperateasidewalkcafé

inpublicspaceuntiltheyareissuedaSidewalkCaféPermitandaCertificateofUseforacafé(DCMR24‐301.2).Sidewalkcafépermitsareissuedtopropertyown‐ersonly,andeachapplicationforacafémustbesignedandapprovedbytheownerofthepropertyabuttingthepublicspacetobeoccupiedbythecafé(DCMR24‐303.3).

Seating Capacity Sidewalkcafésmusthave15square

feetforeveryseatwithintheirseatingarea.Thenumberofseatswithinaside‐walkcaféisdeterminedbydividingthetotalsquarefeetofthecaféby15.(ThePublicSpaceCommitteeusesthestandardforindoorrestaurantseatingestablishedintheInternationalBuildingCode,Section1004.1and1004.2,Table1004.1.1)

Furnishing and Fixtures

Allfurnishingsandfixtures,suchaschairs,tables,umbrellas,andlights,mustbenon‐permanentandremovablewithin

floorceilingoftheadjoiningbuilding,whicheverisless(DCMR24‐315.2,24‐315.3,and24‐315.4).

Fences and Planters

Theheightofarailing,fence,orplanter(includingvegetation)aroundasidewalkcafécannotbehigherthan36inches(DCMR24‐315.5).

Flooring

Artificialturf,carpet,platforms,oranyothersurfacecoverinasidewalkcaféisallowedonthefloorareaonlywhenspe‐cificallyapprovedbytheFireChiefandthePublicSpaceCommittee(DCMR24‐315.6).

Approval Process

Sidewalkcafésoccupypublicspacethatistypicallysetasideforpedestrians.Tomakesuretheinterestofthepublicisprotected,applicationsarereviewedbymultipleDistrictagenciesandthelocalAdvisoryNeighborhoodCommission.Theapplicationprocesstakesseveralweeks.

WhiletheDistrictstronglysupportssidewalkcafésinpublicspace,applicantsmustmeetminimumstandardsforanapplicationtobeapproved.Insomeloca‐tionspublicspaceconstraintsmakeitimpossibletoapproveasidewalkcafé.

SidewalkcafépermitsareobtainedfromtheDDOTPublicSpacePermitOfficeafterapprovalbythePublicSpaceCommittee.TobeconsideredbythePublicSpaceCommittee,allapplicantsmustsubmitacompletedpublicspaceapplicationtoDDOT’sPublicSpacePermitOffice.ThePublicSpaceCommitteemeetsonthe4thThursdayofeachmonth‐meetingdatesanddeadlinesforfilingpermitsarepostedonDDOT’swebsite.CafépermitsthatcomplywithallregulationsandhavenooutstandingissuesmaybeapprovedontheCommittee’sconsentagenda.

Somesidewalkcafésmayneedmorethanonepermit:

• PublicSpaceSidewalkCaféPermitforRental‐allapplications

• SidewalkCaféCertificateofUsefromDirectoroftheDepartmentof

ConsumerandRegulatoryAffairs(DCRA)‐allapplications

• BuildingPermit(enclosedcafésonly‐seeDCMR12:314.3)

• ElectricPermit(caféswithlightingorelectricalfixtures–DCElectricalCode110‐50,410,430)

• ABClicense(sidewalkcafésservingalcohol)

For More Information…

ContactDDOT’sPublicSpacePermitOfficeat202.442.4670tolearnmoreaboutsidewalkcaféapplicationrequirementsandthePublicSpaceCommitteereviewprocess.ContacttheDCOfficeofPlanning’sPublicSpaceProgramat202.442.7600tolearnmoreabouturbandesignoptionstoconsiderwhendevelopingplansforthelocationandlayoutofsidewalkcafés.

Enclosed cafés must have transparent walls.