The City of Philadelphia has released new regulations for streeteries as part of its roll-out of the permanent Outdoor Dining Program. The regulations resulted from a complicated inter-agency process that weighed restaurant interests with safety, accessibility, and quality of life precautions.

This blog post provides an overview of the announcement and general information that you will find helpful. Find the press release here.

Any restaurant considering having a streetery beyond 12/31/22 should carefully review this Philadelphia Streetery License Guide. The guide will be updated as needed, rather than the guide as a PDF attachment, which will always lead to the most up-to-date version.

Key points for your restaurants:

  • The vast majority of streeteries set up during the pandemic will need to be fully removed or significantly re-designed, as they will not comply with vital safety requirements.
  • The permanent Outdoor Dining Program requires restaurants to obtain a Streetery License to set up and operate a streetery. Applicants will need Streets Department approval for use of the public right-of-way, and the Department of Licenses and Inspections will ultimately approve and issue the final Streetery License, which must be renewed annually. Additionally, streetery designs including large structures will require a Building Permit and ArtCommission approval.
  • The regulations released today differ from the regulations released in March 2022. The regulations released today reduce the annual Streetery License fee from $2,250 to $1,750, eliminate the bond requirement, and eliminate the inclement weather removal requirement.
  • The permanent Outdoor Dining Program roll-out timeline is as follows:
    • Announcement & beginning of education period – Oct 19, 2022
    • Information sessions are scheduled for Monday, October 31 at 9:30am (Register online) and Monday, November 21 at 10:30am (Register online).
    • Streets Dept. Prerequisite Approval Application opens – November 2022
    • All streeteries must have a license, enforcement begins – Jan 9, 2023

For questions and assistance, please contact Ashley Miscevich, Manager, City and County Affairs, at amiscevich@chamberphl.com or by phone at (215) 790-3776.