Since outdoor dining reopened, with restrictions, on June 15th (see Executive Order 150) the City currently has the below outdoor seating option available for businesses. 


  • NEW - Temporary Sidewalk Cafe Application: The City Council approved Resolution 80-2020 on June 25th to temporarily allow sidewalk cafés (placing outdoor dining furniture on the sidewalk in front of your storefront) so long as a minimum of 4-feet of pedestrian walkway is maintained on the sidewalks.  Interested restaurants should submit a Zoning Permit Application for Temporary Sidewalk Café License to the Construction Office for review and approval.  The application requires a one-time $50 application fee.   
  • NEW - Temporary Parklet/strEATERY Application: The City Council approved Resolution 80-2020 on June 25th to temporarily allow parklets and strEATERIES as a means to provide additional outdoor dining opportunities.  Interested restaurants should submit a Zoning Permit Application for Temporary Parklet/strEATERY License to the Construction Office for review and approval.  The application requires a one-time $50 application fee. 
  • NEW - Temporary Expanded Restaurant Outdoor Seating Application: The City Council approved Resolution 74-2020 that permits restaurants to temporarily expand outdoor seating on their private properties.  Interested restaurants should submit a Zoning Permit Application for Temporary Expanded Restaurant Outdoor Seating to the Construction Office for review and approval.  The application requires a one-time $50 application fee.     
  • Annual Outdoor Seating Application: The City’s regular Annual Outdoor Seating Application should be used if your outdoor dining area has not been approved by a land use board.  On June 10, the City Council determined that an application fee of $50 should be submitted with the application while they determine what the annual per seat fee structure will be (not to exceed the existing $50/seat).
  • Outdoor Seating Shade Apparatus Application: The NJ Division of Fire Safety issued guidelines to ensure property fire safety is maintained for new outdoor seating areas.  Additionally, the Division of Fire Safety has indicated that a Type 1 Permit is required for tents, tensioned membrane structures, or canopies greater than 900 square feet or more than 30 feet in any dimension whether it is one unit or composed of multiple units, but 16,800 square feet or less in area and 140 feet or less in any dimension, whether it is one unit or composed of multiple units. Tents exceeding this size require the issuance of a Uniform Construction Code permit.  The application requires a one-time $54 application fee set by the State to cover administrative review time. 
  • City Parklet Application: Would you like to host the City’s parquet in front of your business? The parklet can be used for food establishments or retail businesses. Please head to this form for more details or to fill out your information, and the City will be back in touch with you shortly!

For more information Executive Order 150, please review the June 4, 2020 email that was sent to the business community.  If you have not been open for a while, please be sure to contact the County Health Department for a re-inspection as necessary.

For more information, and the most recent updates please head to the "Updates to Businesses" section on the City's new economic development page.