Pavement Permissions

Outdoor Seating

Use of footpaths

If you want to use a footpath or public property to provide outdoor seating for patrons of a bar, restaurant, café, club or gaming venue, you must request permission from the Council.

Receiving permission does not mean that you can serve alcohol in that area. You will need to apply for a liquor licence for the area separately.

Use of Footpath Policy and Application (240Kb PDF)

Smoke-free Indoors

Pavement permissions have become particularly important since December 2004, when the Smoke-free Environments Amendment Act 2003 began requiring hospitality venues (bars, clubs, restaurants, cafés, casinos and gaming machine venues) to be smoke-free indoors. If you wish to provide an area for smokers, it has to be outdoors, either on your own property or in a public area.

Smoke-free Law in New Zealand - Ministry of Health website

Displaying Your Permission

You must display your pavement permission next to the seating area so that the permission can be viewed from outside your venue. All permissions have an aerial photograph clearly showing the allowable area.

Displaying your permission will help patrons, staff and enforcement agencies to:

• keep pedestrian areas clear
• make sure all venues and patrons are in compliance with the central area liquor ban.

All pavement permissions are only for a period of 1 year (1 July to 30 June) and need to be reapplied for yearly.

Sandwich Boards

If you want a sandwich board on the footpath you need to obtain a licence from the Council. If your licence application is approved the Council will send you a sticker that must be displayed on your sandwich board at all times. It costs $150 to apply.

Sandwich Board Licence application packet (97Kb PDF)

The Council's Footpath Management Policy came into effect on 1 July 2007. During the consultation on the new policy many people indicated that they would like to see an improvement in how sandwich boards are placed so they do not create unsafe clutter on the footpath.

The Council will be monitoring the use of sandwich boards from September 2007 onwards (once the new licences are issued). Any boards consistently not complying with the policy will be removed from the footpath.

Related Links

• Use of Footpath Policy and Application (240Kb PDF)
• Sandwich Board Licence application packet (97Kb PDF)
• Liquor Licensing
• Roads & Traffic
• Food Safety & Environmental Health
• Street Vending
• Smoke-free Law in New Zealand - Ministry of Health website

Department Details:
Building Consents & Licensing Services