Overview: 

Curb lane closures allow brick-and-mortar retail food establishments and tavern licensees to place tables and chairs in the portion of a street between the sidewalk and the first lane of traffic, otherwise known as the curb lane, in order to serve patrons.

Eligibility:  

• Applicants must have a valid Retail Food Establishment license or valid Tavern license. 
• Applicants intending to serve liquor in a curb lane must have a valid Liquor license pursuant to Chapter 4-60 of the Municipal Code of the City of Chicago and dram shop insurance, per rules and regulations. 
• Applicants that have only a tavern license must have a food service partner.
• Applications for curb lane use can be made in addition to or independent of a sidewalk café application. In other words, an establishment may operate a sidewalk café, a curb lane, or both.
• Applicants will not be allowed to utilize space that regularly carries live vehicular traffic, including but not limited to traffic lanes, bicycle lanes and bus stops.  
• Applicants must construct a seating platform that is level with the existing sidewalk to allow for safe and ADA compliant access to the curb lane area.   
• Access to fire hydrants cannot be obstructed.
• Curb lane dining structures should not be located so as to obstruct the sight triangle (12 feet on each side) of an adjacent driveway or mid-block crosswalk, and must be a minimum of 30 feet from an intersection on the near side approach, and 20 feet from the intersection on the far side.
• Applicants must be prepared to clear the curb lane with 24 hours’ notice should there be an emergency or other safety hazard that requires access to remediate.  
• Applicants must fully vacate the curb lane upon the expiration of the permit annually on October 31^st. 
• A full list of requirements can be found on the City of Chicago online permitting portal. 

Timeline:  

Curb lane permits are issued seasonally and are effective from May 1^st through October 31^st each year.  

Application Process:  

• Applications must be made via theportal. Full closure applicants must submit proof of licensure (a Retail Food Establishment license or Tavern license), associated insurance documents, a plan of the proposed curb lane dining area with measurements indicated, and a photo of the area to be occupied. The full list of required materials can be found on the portal. 
• The plan must indicate how the curb lane permittee will maintain unimpeded access to any existing bike lanes running through or adjacent to the impacted curb lane area.
• The Certificate of Insurance must be uploaded to the portal before CDOT can approve the application. 
• After the application has been approved, applicants will be directed to pay via the portal. 
• Upon payment, CDOT will notify the applicant electronically that the permit has been approved. The permit itself must be available upon request. Electronic copies are acceptable. 
• Questions can be submitted to CDOT at cdotpermitsupport@cityofchicago.org. 

Application Portal: City of Chicago Permit Portal 

Department issuing permit: Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT)