Living rule book
NYC sidewalk cafe rules on one block
Each number marks a rule. Pick a number to zoom in and read the rule with its official source. Open it to read the full rule page.
- Not allowed
- Allowed
- What the rule is about
- Distance in the rule
Plain-language summaries. The official text linked with each rule is the law. Not legal advice.
All rules on this street
The same rules as the drawing, in order.
1. Clear path for people walking
Not allowed · 34 RCNY § 5-11(a)(1)(iii)
The cafe must leave a clear path. It is the greater of 50% of the sidewalk width or the street minimum: 12 ft (global corridors), 10 ft (regional corridors) or 8 ft (neighborhood corridors, community connectors and baseline streets). It is measured from the cafe edge to the nearest object, or to the curb. On this 20 ft sidewalk, 50% is 10 ft.
Official sources
Read the rule →2. Only in front of the restaurant
Allowed · 34 RCNY § 5-11(a)(1)(i)–(ii)
A sidewalk cafe may only use the sidewalk directly in front of the ground-floor restaurant that runs it. It must be open-air, with only tables, chairs and decor that are easy to remove.
Official sources
Read the rule →3. Subway stair: 15 feet
Not allowed · 34 RCNY § 5-11(a)(1)(iv)
Keep the cafe 15 ft from the open (entry) end of a subway stair and 5 ft from its closed end. Keep it 10 ft from a subway elevator entrance.
Official sources
Read the rule →4. Tree bed: 8 feet
Not allowed · 34 RCNY § 5-11(a)(1)(iv)
Keep the cafe 8 ft from the edge of a street tree bed. The same 8 ft applies to mailboxes, streetlights, parking meters, kiosks, newsstands and traffic signals.
Official sources
Read the rule →5. Fire hydrant: 8 feet
Not allowed · 34 RCNY § 5-11(a)(1)(iv), (b)(1)(iii)
Keep a sidewalk cafe 8 ft from a fire hydrant. (A roadway cafe must keep 15 ft.)
Official sources
Read the rule →6. Bus stop: 8 feet
Not allowed · 34 RCNY § 5-11(a)(1)(iv)
Keep the cafe 8 ft from a bus stop pole and 8 ft from a bus shelter.
Official sources
Read the rule →7. Building entrance: 5 feet
Not allowed · 34 RCNY § 5-11(a)(1)(iv)
Keep the cafe 5 ft from a primary building entrance. The same 5 ft applies to curb cuts, emergency exit hatches, Siamese connections and standpipes, and bike share stations.
Official sources
Read the rule →8. Doors, stoops and fire escapes
Not allowed · 34 RCNY § 5-11(a)(1)(v), (a)(2)(vi)
The cafe may not cover or block cellar doors, freight elevators, service entrances, retail and other non-primary entrances, or stoops, steps and stairs. A closed, reinforced cellar door that is not an exit may be covered if a registered design professional certifies it. Nothing in the cafe may block fire escape stairs.
Official sources
Read the rule →9. Cafe edge: 2 ft 6 in high at most
Allowed · 34 RCNY § 5-11(a)(2)(i)–(ii)
Mark the cafe edge with a removable, self-supporting wall, railing, planter, fence or stanchions and rope, no higher than 2 ft 6 in (plants not counted). It may not be fixed to the sidewalk. The cafe must be level with the sidewalk: no platforms or floor covers.
Official sources
Read the rule →10. Awnings and umbrellas: height
Allowed · 34 RCNY § 5-11(a)(2)(iv)
An awning must be at least 8 ft and at most 10 ft above the ground. An umbrella or other overhead cover must be at least 7 ft and at most 10 ft high, on a weighted base.
Official sources
Read the rule →11. Nothing in the furnishing zone
Not allowed · 34 RCNY § 5-10(l)
No part of the cafe, and no cafe item, may be placed or stored in the furnishing zone. On this block it is the strip along the curb with the tree, the hydrant and the bus stop.
Official sources
Read the rule →12. Opening hours
Allowed · 34 RCNY § 5-10(b)
A sidewalk cafe that is not enclosed may open Monday to Saturday from 8 AM to midnight, and Sunday from 10 AM to midnight.
Official sources
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