Registration for new applications is now closed.

 

Curb lane cafés provide expanded temporary patio space for use by restaurants, bars and cafés. Curb lane cafés are located on the street, directly adjacent to a curb.

Once you submit your application, you will receive an email with a reference number. City staff will keep you informed on your application’s status and notify you of missing documentation or required revisions. If there is incorrect or insufficient information in your submitted documents, this may delay the processing timeline.

1. Staff conduct safety and feasibility reviews

City staff will review your application to ensure the requirements of Chapter 742 have been met, including traffic safety and construction impacts. City staff will also check for outstanding fees or fines and review your past compliance with other applicable bylaws (e.g. Chapter 591 (Noise)) and legislation (e.g. Health Protection and Promotion Act and Liquor Licence Act).

An application will be refused if:

  • the application contains false, misleading or fraudulent information
  • the bylaw requirements are not met
  • you have outstanding summons or unpaid fees or fines.

2. Fee payment and curb lane café dimensions

If your application is approved, City staff will email you with:

  1. The official Traffic Plan, which shows you where you can locate your curb lane café and the size of your café.
  2. An invoice showing the amount owing in fees.

Once you receive this email, you will be asked to:

  • Pay your application and permit fee online. Application fees are only charged if the application has been approved. The permit fee is determined once the size of your curb lane café has been approved. Details are found in the 2025 Curb Lane Café Guidebook.
  • Submit a Certificate of Insurance issued by your insurer for $2,000,000 General Liability with the City listed as additional insured. The Name of the Insured must match the Legal Name on your Municipal Business Licence.

3. Temporary platform design submission

After receiving a Traffic Plan from City staff that informs you of your final café size and location, you must develop and submit your Temporary Accessible Platform Package by April 15 for review. Once approved, your temporary accessible platform must be installed by June 1.

All CaféTO operators are required to install platforms to provide level access between the sidewalk and the café to and increase the navigability of the curb lane, especially for cyclists, creating safer and more accessible cafés and improving the dining experience for customers.

  • Requirements for the temporary platform design are found in the 2025 Curb Lane Cafe Guidebook.
  • The designs must be approved by the City before installation. All drawings must be stamped/signed by a licensed professional such as an engineer, architect, or Building Code Identification Number (BCIN) licensed designer.
  • Detailed, scaled plans and specifications must be submitted to determine if the proposed curb lane café platform meets the requirements set in Chapter 742. Your completed Temporary Accessible Platform Package must be uploaded on the permit portal no later than April 15th, 2025.

To assist applicants with their platform submissions, the Toronto Association of Business Improvement Areas (TABIA) has compiled helpful resources.

4. Successful applicants will receive a copy of the signed agreement and a curb lane café permit.

Once the safety and traffic equipment has been set up you may open and operate your curb lane café.

2025 Curb Lane Café Guidebook

Once the Temporary Accessible Platform Package has been approved by the City, the platform must be installed by June 1.

City staff will communicate to you the date they close the curb lane and install the safety and traffic equipment. Temporary platforms are only permitted to be installed during the café season and must be removed before your scheduled curb lane café removal date. You are responsible for the disassembly, removal and storage of your platform, at your own cost, in the event of planned or emergency capital or utility work, as directed by the General Manager of Transportation Services, or their delegate.

You are able to operate your curb lane café without a platform until June 1, as long as you provide an accessible ramp and all the safety and traffic equipment is installed. Details are found in the Guidebook.

Application Fee

In 2025, a one-time (non-refundable), flat rate application fee of $865 +HST will be charged when a new application is made. This fee is not charged when a permit is renewed. This fee is also not charged if your curb lane café application is rejected.

Seasonal Permit Fee

Seasonal permit fees for curb lane cafés are based on a café’s size (measured in square metres). A seasonal permit fee must be paid each year. The 2025 seasonal permit fee for a curb lane café is $132.42 +HST per square metre (m²), or approximately 11 square feet (ft²). Fees will be determined upon application approval by the size of your curb lane café.

1. An Alphanumeric, black and white graphic indicating how to calculate the size of a curb lane café

Permit Transfer Fee

In 2025, a one-time (non-refundable) transfer fee of $676.27 +HST is charged each time a permit is transferred to another operator. For a permit transfer to be approved, it must meet the requirements set out in the Chapter 742. For more information and to initiate the permit transfer, contact City staff.

Insurance Requirements

All operators must submit a Certificate of Insurance issued by your insurer for $2,000,000.00 General Liability with the City listed as additional insured, including a cross-liability and or/severability of interest clause. The Name of the Insured must match the Legal Name on your Municipal Business Licence.

The completed Certificate of Insurance must be signed and stamped by the insurer and uploaded onto the Permit Portal using your reference number and upload token provided by the City.

Certificate of Insurance Form

Timelines for CaféTO 2025 Season

Complete: New Permit Applications and Renewals
01/22 to 02/19/2025 – Complete.

The application portals are closed.

Current: Platform Designs Due
03/15 to 04/15/2025 – Next Up

Temporary platform design submissions are due by April 15.

Incomplete: Permit Processing
04/15 to 06/01/2025 – Upcoming

Approval and completion of all submissions.

Incomplete: Curb Lane Cafés Open
05/17/2025 – Upcoming

Installations are 90 per cent completed by the Victoria Day long weekend.

Incomplete: KeKey Deadline: Platform Installation Complete
06/01/2025 – Upcoming

Temporary platforms must be installed by June 1 for the duration of the café season.

Incomplete: Season Ends: Removal of Curb Lane Café Patios and Platforms
10/01 to 10/15/2025 – Upcoming

Operators must remove curb lane café patios and platforms before the scheduled removal date.

Regulation 746/21 of to the Liquor Licence and Control Act to establish new options for approving temporary outdoor physical extensions, which took effect January 1, 2023. The new framework replaces the temporary AGCO policy that was in place between 2020 and 2022 and allows the City to approve temporary outdoor physical extensions if the establishment has an existing permanent liquor sales licence and the extended licensed area is adjacent 10 metres or less to the existing licensed establishment.

Permit holders must notify the AGCO of your approval, the duration of your approval and any conditions on the approval.

It is the operator’s responsibility to ensure compliance with all Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) regulations as well as adhere to any conditions on their liquor sales licence. Restaurant and bar operators wishing to apply for permanent changes to liquor licences will still need to apply for approvals through the AGCO.
Learn about the New Framework for Temporary Outdoor Physical Extensions (Temporary Patios) at the AGCO.

Resources

Additional resources are available through TABIA.

If your restaurant or bar is a part of a BIA, we recommend you connect with your BIA to discuss your application.