Cafe Manual and Guidelines

The City is piloting an online application for Café Permits for the 2024 café season. This online process will allow business owners to apply and pay for their permit digitally without having to travel to city offices. We have also created an outdoor café manual to help guide you in designing and laying out your café space. Business establishments desiring use of City property for the purposes of an outdoor café must complete and submit a one-time online application form using this online application link.  We are requiring applicants to submit a scaled drawing. Please connect with City staff to understand the requirements.

  1. 1 Cover Page
  2. 2 About the Manual
  3. 3 Step 1 - Understand the Public Right-of-way_2024
  4. 4 Step 3 - Choose the Cafe thats best for you_2024
  5. 5 Step 4 - Identify required buffers_2024
  6. 6 Step 5 - Identify required setbacks_2024
  7. 7 Step 6 - Locate your Pedestrian Clear Zone_2024
  8. 8 Step 7 - Identify where your Cafe will go_2024
  9. 9 Step 8 - Layout your Cafe Space_2024
  10. 10 Step 9 - Make your Cafe ADA Accessible_2024
  11. 11 Step 10 - Choose your furnishings_1_2024
  12. 12 Step 10 - Choose your furnishings_2_2024
  13. 13 Step 10 - Choose your furnishings_3_2024
  14. 14 Step 11 - Applying for the Permit_2024
  15. 15 Step 12 - Operational Requirements_2024

The purpose of this manual is to support businesses in establishing a Café while balancing the mobility needs of everyone who uses and travels in the right-of-way: people walking, biking, driving, riding transit, or moving goods/freight. This document serves as comprehensive resource for all procedures, standards, and guidelines affecting physical changes in the public right-of-way. The design manual includes the various café typologies, traffic and pedestrian safety requirements and other creative solutions to address the challenges and opportunities for Outdoor Dining.

Download the Cafe Manual

Please send your questions, concern and comments to Senior Project Manager, Poulomi Sen at dpd@albanyny.gov

Recording of the Informational Meeting hosted for Downtown Business Improvement District on Tuesday, December 12, 2023 at 2pm.

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Recording of the Informational Meeting hosted for Lark Street Business Improvement District on Thursday, December 14, 2023 at 2pm

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