Overview: 

Full street closures allow brick-and-mortar retail food establishments and tavern licensees to fully close a street to motorized vehicular traffic and place tables and chairs in the closed street to serve patrons.   

Eligibility:  

• Applicants must have a valid Retail Food Establishment license or valid Tavern license. Each establishment participating in the street closure is considered an applicant.
• Applications for full street closures require the participation of at least three establishments and at least 50% of the participating establishments must have a valid retail food establishment license.  
• Applicants intending to serve liquor within the closure 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 the rules and regulations. 
• All adjoining sidewalks must remain accessible to pedestrians at all times of the full street closure, and there must be an unobstructed path through the full street closure of at least 14 feet at all times for emergency vehicle access.  
• Access to adjacent businesses along the full street closure must be maintained at all times. 
• Once the street closure has been approved, applicants are responsible for placing and maintaining approved barriers and traffic control devices to effectuate the full street closure.
• Applicants must be prepared to clear the street with 24 hours’ notice should there be an emergency or other safety hazard that requires the full street closure to be lifted.
• A full list of requirements can be found on the City of Chicago online permitting portal.

Full street closure 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 street closure applicants must submit proof of licensure (a Retail Food Establishment license or Tavern license), associated insurance documents, a site plan of the proposed street with measurements indicated, and a photo of the street to be closed.  The full list of required materials can be found on the portal. 
• The plan must indicate how the full street closure will maintain unimpeded access to any existing bike lanes running through the proposed full street closure 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 theportal. 
• 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)