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COVID-19 Legal Resource Guide
June 19, 2020

New York City Unveils Its Open Restaurant Program

On June 19, New York City unveiled its Open Restaurant Program, an effort to implement a citywide multiphase program to temporarily expand outdoor seating options for restaurants and bars that promotes open space, enhances social distancing and helps them rebound in these difficult economic times. Existing restaurants and bars may submit a self-certified application to the Department of Transportation to place outdoor seating in front of their establishment on the sidewalk and/or roadway. An application is not needed to place outdoor seating on private property. The constraints on placing tables and chairs on the sidewalk and within the roadway differ depending on the location of the restaurant and surrounding sidewalk and roadway conditions. The self-certified application and siting criteria can be found here. 

 

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