A street café licence allows cafés, pubs or restaurants to sell food and place tables, chairs or furniture on a public pavement.
Unlicensed street cafés will face enforcement action.
Seated areas on non-highway land or other courtyard areas don't need a licence.
A further application would be required to alter any aspect of the street café layout or operation once a licence has been issued.
Applying for a licence
You can apply online for a street café licence. The process will take about three months if no objections are received. If there are objections, it could take up to six months. Licences are valid for a year.
Apply for a street café licence
To help applicants, there are street café guidance notes (pdf / 37 KB) and an application form (doc / 2 MB) is available. A renewal form is also available (doc / 2 MB). Return your completed application form with payment to your local highway area office (pdf / 269 KB).
You can view our street café licence protocol in detail here (pdf / 2 MB).
Licence costs
VAT is not payable. Our list of fees and charges for 2020-21 are here (pdf / 253 KB).