City waives $150 fee for sidewalk cafes until Jan. 1

The Portland Bureau of Transportation sent a letter this week encouraging restaurant owners to apply for a sidewalk café permit before January 1 to save more than $150.

“The Transportation Bureau issues sidewalk café permits to help ensure that all users have safe, equitable access to the public sidewalk,” said Rich Eisenhauer, program manager at PBOT.

A Sidewalk Café permit allows, and is required for, a business to serve food and beverage to patrons seated at tables located within the public sidewalk area adjacent to the business.

This letter also notified business owners of recent changes to the permit program, including the new fee structure. The application fee is $150 plus $4.50 per linear foot of sidewalk café. The annual permit fee is $75 plus $1.50 per linear foot of sidewalk café. The application fee will be waived if café owners apply before the January 1 cutoff, saving a minimum of $150 per business.

“We’re offering an incentive to restaurant owners to apply for their permit now by waiving the application fee. Waiving the fee is a goodwill gesture to business that saves restaurant owners money now and prevents them from having to pay fines down the road for operating on the public sidewalk without a permit,” Eisenhauer said. “In 2010 we will be focusing our resources on bringing non-permitted cafes into compliance.”

A committee of restaurant owners, business and neighborhood representatives, advocates for pedestrians and the disabled, and city staff reviewed the Sidewalk Café Permit Program in 2008. The updated program began June 2009, after being approved by City Council.

Applications can be found online at www.portlandonline.com/transportation/sidewalkcafe To request an application or to ask a question by phone or email, please contact PBOT at (503) 823-7002 option five, or sidewalkcafe@pdxtrans.org