Your outdoor dining/activity will be supported if there is:
- safe and unobstructed accessibility for everyone
- a positive impact on safety or perception of safety
- outdoor seating that is fit for purpose
When you need a permit
You need an outdoor dining licence if you intend to place furniture or objects on part of the footpath or public property outside of your shop or business.
You do not need one:
- to place objects on private property – you just need the property owner’s permission.
- to permanently place furniture or objects on part of the street, you’ll need to apply for an encroachment licence.
Sandwich boards can’t be considered as part of an outdoor dining permission application. These are licensed separately, see Sandwich Boards.
Wellington hospitality venues with outdoor dining on public land have been smokefree and vapefree since 1 March 2023. For more information, please see the Smokefree Wellington Policy and Condition 8.3 of the Trading and Events in Public Places Policy.
How to apply
If you would like some advice before you submit your application on the viability of the location or considerations for furniture placement, please send your query to outdoordining@wcc.govt.nz.
Information required
With your outdoor dining licence application, you’ll need to provide:
- Proposed plan – a to-scale detailed plan of your premises marked to show the outdoor area you wish to use, including:
- The front of your premises with the location of any entrances marked.
- The kerb with measurements from the front of your premises. The layout and orientation of furniture in the proposed outdoor seating area must allow for at least 0.8m to the adjacent kerb line to ensure safety of patrons (this is the area between the seating the kerb line).
- Location of any existing street furniture and amenities eg bins, street lights, trees.
- Proposed placement of tables and chairs with measurements of size and height.
- Proposed placement of any other temporary furniture eg planters, umbrellas, heating devices with measurements of size and height.
- Location of any veranda covering the site or part of the site.
- Site specific photo – showing the proposed outdoor area including an aerial and in relation to the front of your premises.
- Photos or product images – showing the outdoor furniture and elements you intend on using.
- Public liability insurance – a certificate of insurance which shows you hold public liability insurance of at least $2 million for any outdoor area you plan to use. This public liability insurance must remain current while the approval is in force. Please note, your application will not be approved without this.
For more information about pavement lease rules or drawing a scale plan see: Supplementary footpath information (222KB PDF)
Consider the following when applying for an outdoor dining licence: