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OBF License Application Links
Downtown Parking Office
1221 Anacapa Street
Santa Barbara, CA 93101
(805) 564-5656 Tel.
Mailing Address
City of Santa Barbara
P.O. Box 1990
Santa Barbara, CA 93102-1990
Downtown Parking Counter Walk-in Hours
Monday through Thursday
8:30 AM to 4:00 PM (PT)
Monday through Thursday
8:30 AM to 4:30 PM (PT)
Alternate Fridays
8:30 AM to 4:30 PM (PT)
Calendar of Closed Fridays
Outdoor Business Facility Licensing
On January 12, 2023, City Council approved a rate structure for businesses using the public right-of-way on the State Street Promenade, including the 400 and 1300 blocks of State Street. The rate structure went into effect on May 1, 2023.
License Application
Prior to installing an Outdoor Business Facility, you must submit an application for an Outdoor Business Facility License and receive approval for a license. The License Application will walk you through a self-assessment of your plans to determine if they meet the Requirements for Operating a Business on the Temporary State Street Promenade. Please go through each check-box to ensure your facility meets the requirements. Facility proposals that do not meet the requirements will be denied and asked to resubmit plans that do meet all requirements. Only complete applications will be considered. For an application to be complete, include all of the following:
- A detailed Site Plan on 8 1/2" x 11" paper. The plan must:
- Demonstrate compliance with all ADA requirements and be noted as such. Include location of accessible table,
dimensions and slope of ramp if required, and path of travel, including dimensions, from facility entrance to
accessible table. - Include dimensions of facility footprint and facility height.
- Include facility location in relation to business frontage. If facility expands beyond facility frontage, include
measurement of portion(s) of facility which expand beyond business frontage. - Seating and table arrangement, including any built-in dining counter areas.
- Include drawing of elevation showing facility height and overhead elements.
- Demonstrate compliance with all ADA requirements and be noted as such. Include location of accessible table,
- A Design Plan with color photographs or images of your proposed Outdoor Business Facility showing:
- Details showing compliance with all applicable design requirements including materials used, color, dimensions,
and design of enclosures and railings. - Area proposed for use.
- Proposed chairs, tables, umbrella, or heater (if any).
- Details showing compliance with all applicable design requirements including materials used, color, dimensions,
- Proof of Insurance - Refer to the OBF License Agreement for complete list of insurance requirements.
- Commercial General Liability: No less than $1,000,000 per occurrence.
- City of Santa Barbara as additional insured.
- Worker's Compensation: No less than $1,000,000 per incident
- Waiver of Subrogation
- Commercial General Liability: No less than $1,000,000 per occurrence.
- Extended Frontage Usage Agreement if required.
OBF License - Online ApplicationOBF License - Print Application
Extended Frontage Usage Agreement
Facilities which extend beyond the business frontage must submit an Extended Frontage Usage Agreement (EFUA) for each impacted property as a part of the application package. A signed agreement must be submitted for each business and each property impacted. Electronic signatures are not accepted for the EFUA, but a scan of the signed agreement may be uploaded through the online OBF License Application portal.
License Fees are assessed at $2.00/ sq ft. for all facility types.
Prior to submitting your application, please review the following checklists to ensure your facility is in compliance with all requirements. A license will not be issued to facilities which do not meet all design and ADA requirements.
Application Package Requirements:
Site Plan - This may be either hand drawn or computer drawn and must include footprint measurements, height measurements, table layout, and ADA compliance information (accessible table/seating, path of travel, relevant landing space, and ramp measurements if you will be using a ramp).
Design Plan - You will need to include photographs or drawings showing compliance with design requirements. Please include paint colors, photographs of proposed furniture, umbrellas, heaters, and any other item you will use in your facility.
Certificate of Insurance - Must show the city as additional insured.
Extended Frontage Usage Agreement - Required if your facility extends in front of neighboring properties. Must submit two agreements for each neighboring impacted business; one signed by the neighboring business owner(s) and one signed by the neighboring property owner(s).
How do I apply for an Outdoor Business Facility License?
Before you begin the License Fee application, start by gathering the required supplemental items. Applications will not be accepted without all required items. If you will be submitting online, submittal must be in either PDF or JPEG formats.
- Site Plan - This may be either hand drawn or computer drawn and must include footprint measurements, height measurements, table layout, and ADA compliance information (accessible table/seating, path of travel, relevant landing space, and ramp measurements if you will be using a ramp).
- Design Plan - You will need to include photographs or drawings showing compliance with design requirements. Please include paint colors, photographs of proposed furniture, umbrellas, heaters, and any other item you will use in your facility.
- Certificate of Insurance - Must show the city as additional insured.
- Extended Frontage Usage Agreement - Required if your facility extends in front of neighboring properties. Must submit two agreements for each neighboring impacted business; one signed by the neighboring business owner(s) and one signed by the neighboring property owner(s).
Once you have gathered all submittals, you are ready to complete the application. Application deadline for all operating facilities (existing or proposed). Please submit your application package as soon as possible to give staff time to review and alert you to any missing documents or additional required information. Application packages submitted after the deadline may not be reviewed in time to meet the License Agreement deadline and may cause your facility to be removed.
You may submit the application in one of three ways:
- Online: You may complete the application and upload all required attachments here
- In-Person: Complete application packages may be dropped off at the Downtown Parking office at 1221 Anacapa Street, 93101, Monday-Friday, 8:30-4:00. Please note that application packages will not be reviewed at the time of drop-off. Printable Application
- By Mail: Complete application packages may be mailed to: Downtown Parking / PO Box 1990 / Santa Barbara, CA 93101.
Staff will contact you to arrange a meeting at the proposed facility to review submittals and verify applicable rate structure and license fee. Meetings will begin the first week of May, 2023.
At the Application Review Meeting, staff and the business owner will finalize and sign the Outdoor Business Facility License Agreement. At that time, payment for the first month and deposit equal to one-month will be collected. Please come to the meeting prepared to submit payment with a check made payable to the City of Santa Barbara.
FAQ
An Outdoor Business Facility License allows businesses on the State Street Promenade (400-1300 blocks of State Street) to temporarily extend operations into the street under authorization of the Economic Recovery Extension and Transition Ordinance (ERETO). The ERETO was adopted by City Council in response to the COVID19 pandemic and is currently authorized through the end of 2023. License fees generatedsupport increased maintenance and cleaning on the State Street Promenade.
All businesses operating outdoor business facilities on the State Street Promenade between the 400 and 1300 blocks of State Street. Businesses operating off of State Street do not need a license at this time.
If you would like to have a parklet in the public right-of-way that is not on the State Street Promenade (1300 - 400 State Street, 00 W Victoria), you will need to apply for a Parklet in the Public Right-of-Way License. Please see Parklets in the Public Right-of-Way for more information.
License fees are assessed at $2.00/ sq ft for all facility types.
A "portable" facility is a facility that can be completely removed from the street with 24 hours' notice, without the use of mechanized equipment.
Facilities in operation prior to September 20, 2022 are considered "existing" and are exempt from some of the design requirements. Facilities which were not in operation prior to September 20, 2022 are considered "new" and must comply with all design requirements.
Yes, each area or "experience" in a restaurant must be equally accessible to all customers which means full compliance with ADA requirements in each area.
Yes. As a part of the License Agreement process, businesses will be required to receive approval from any impacted neighboring business owner(s) and property owners through Extended Frontage Usage Agreements.
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