Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
NYC Council passes permanent outdoor dining legislation with new rules
By
Catalina Gonella
Published Aug 3, 2023
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Xinhua/Shutterstock
By
Catalina Gonella
Published Aug 3, 2023
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
The popular pandemic-era outdoor dining program was made permanent by the City Council on Thursday — but it comes with new rules.
The program, which will be overseen by the City Department of Transportation, will allow roadway cafes from April to November. They will also require a four-year permit that will cost $1,050. Up until now, dining sheds have been allowed year-round, and restaurants have not paid to use the street space.
Sidewalk seating will be allowed year-round with proper permits, which will also be issued for four years at a time.
In a statement celebrating the passing of the bill, Mayor Eric Adams said the new rules address concerns of abandoned sheds while keeping alive a program that has been credited with saving the restaurant industry.
“The temporary program saved 100,000 jobs, kept restaurants afloat during the peak of the pandemic, and brought new energy and excitement to our streets and sidewalks. But it wasn’t perfect — too many sheds were abandoned and left to rot and too few lived up to our vision of what our streets should look like,” Adams said.
The bill, which was sponsored by Councilmember Marjorie Velázquez, was passed just two days after a New York Supreme Judge ruled that the mayor could no longer keep passing the series of emergency orders that allowed the program to continue from its start in 2020.
“Outdoor dining has been embraced as a creative solution to address the economic crisis,” Velázquez said in a statement. “We have spent the past year negotiating and modifying the bill to be as inclusive and equitable as possible, meeting the needs of the different types of restaurants and eateries across our city. This was not a one-size-fits-all bill, and that’s the beauty of it.”
Opponents of the legislation had previously filed a series of lawsuits saying outdoor dining invites noise and congestion, and poses unneeded obstacles to New Yorkers with disabilities.
Tagged
new york city
restaurants
Catalina Gonella
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Police searching for student they say brought a gun to Brooklyn high school
The incident happened just a few days before public schools begin on Sept. 10.
By
Walter Wuthmann
Published Sep 5, 2026 at 2:40 p.m. ET
Acclaimed NJ distillery is leaving for NY, as the Garden State industry pleads for reform
All Points West Distillery in Newark says a planned move to the Hudson Valley is unavoidable due to regulations strangling the industry.
By
Michael Sol Warren
News
Acclaimed NJ distillery is leaving for NY, as the Garden State industry pleads for reform
All Points West Distillery in Newark says a planned move to the Hudson Valley is unavoidable due to regulations strangling the industry.
By
Michael Sol Warren
Why NY judges oppose bill to make safety top priority in child custody battles
By
Jimmy Vielkind
Federal court dismisses Trump DOJ’s lawsuit over ICE activity in NJ
By
Giulia Heyward
Did violence in Times Square and on the Brooklyn Bridge change how people feel about NYC?
By
Willow Higgins
and
Brittany Kriegstein
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .