Tuesday night the City Council approved the reimbursement and a temporary waiver of fees for sidewalk café, outdoor display, and curb café permits. Carlsbad was one of the first cities in the region to make it easier to temporarily activate outdoor spaces whether on public or private property. To date over 70 businesses have been permitted for outdoor operations.
On July 28, the City Council took further steps to suspend or modify certain land use rules to make it even easier to get a permit to operate outdoors. With the City Council’s action last night, now anyone who paid a permit fee for a sidewalk café, outdoor display, or curb café will be reimbursed for the fees that they paid. The economic development staff at the city will be reaching out to all of the businesses that paid fees but you can get started by contacting them at business@carlsbadca.gov. Going forward no fees will be charged for these outdoor activation permits through February 28, 2021 or the end of the local state of emergency due to COVID-19.
The fee reimbursement and waiver applies to permits for temporary activation or longer-term use of the public sidewalks or streets. So, if you have been considering a longer-term activation to expand your business outdoors this may be a good time to apply for a permit.
