Expanded Dining Options Available for Downtown Salem Food/Beverage Businesses

There are two outdoor dining options: Sidewalk Café and On-Street Platform Programs. 

Sidewalk Café

You can set up a sidewalk café without getting a permit, but you must keep the area clean and maintain walkways and buffers. (SRC 78.220 and SRC 78.240) 

Keep the Area Clean

You must keep the sidewalk safe by keeping it clear of:

• Ice
• Snow
• Dirt
• Vegetation
• Debris
• Obstructions

Maintain Walkways and Buffers

You must maintain a five foot walkway past the sidewalk café and a minimum three foot buffer from the curb. Street furniture includes, but is not limited to permanent features such as:

• Street signs
• Street lights
• Pedestrian lights
• Street trees
• Benches
• Trash receptacles
• Utility boxes
• Bicycle racks
• Art pedestals

The diagrams below show three options for meeting the requirement.

The first diagram, above left, shows an acceptable sidewalk café arrangement leaving a 5-foot pedestrian pathway between the business and the sidewalk café and other street furniture.

The second diagram, above center, shows a sidewalk café next to the business with a 5-foot minimum pedestrian pathway between the cafe and other street furniture. 

The third diagram, above right, shows a sidewalk café next to the business with a 5-foot minimum pedestrian pathway between the café and the curb adjacent to an area where street furniture is placed closer to the curb and the pedestrian pathway is between the futniture and the business building line.

On-Street Parking Platforms

Only approved platforms are allowed to utilize on-street parking for the On-Street Platform Program. Businesses interested in a platform in on-street parking spaces to expand outdoor dining capacity need:

• A Platform plan that meets Salem's Dining Platform Guidelines
• An application for Revocable License to Use On-Street Parking for Outdoor Dining
• Proof of insurance
• Written approval of property owner, if applicant is other than the property owner or their representative

Platform Policies

• No more than 6% of the downtown on-street parking inventory can be utilized by platforms at any one time.
• No more than 4 spaces per food/beverage business can be used for a platform.
• Food/beverage business must be located on the ground floor of a building, adjacent to the dining platform.
• Business must be open for at least 2 meals per day, 5 days per week.
• Only food/beverage businesses located within the downtown parking district are eligible for this program.

Contact Development Services with On-Street Platform requests and details at developmentservices@cityofsalem.net or 503-584-4646. 

Applications will be processed in the order received.