Outdoor trading permits

Footpath trading allows business owners to trade on public footpaths in front of their business. 

To apply for a Footpath Trading Permit, the footpath outside your business needs to be at least 2.4 m wide.

Footpath trading is made up of 3 zones:

• pedestrian zone
• trading zone
• kerbside zone.

There are a number of rules you must follow to trade on public footpaths.

These include:

• minimum kerb clearances
• correct ways to arrange and display your items
• standards for portable and real estate signs.

Our Footpath Trading Guidelines include more information about these rules you need to follow, and about the permit application process. These guidelines are available in the downloads section below.

How to apply

You can apply for a Footpath Trading Permit by filling in our digital application form.

Apply for a Footpath Trading Permit

It takes between 2 and 4 weeks to review your Footpath Trading Permit application. Once we have reviewed your application, we will contact you by email to let you know if your application is successful.  

If your application is successful, we will then organise the payment of your Footpath Trading Permit fee by emailing you the invoice. The invoiced amount is an annual fee. You can find the fee amounts for different locations in Boroondara in the Annual permit fees section on this page.

Council are not considering any new Parklet Permit applications at this time as we review the existing Parklet Program and related policies. We will however accept a request for an extension of an existing permit. 

There are rules you must follow to set up and continue to operate a parklet.

Some examples are:

• Parklets must be built with a platform that is level to the footpath next to it. This allows for safe and accessible travel between the parklet and the footpath.
• Parklets can only operate with appropriate road safety infrastructure to protect diners and the parklet itself from vehicular traffic.

Our Parklet Guidelines include more information about the rules you need to follow.

For more information, you can email [email protected] or call our Business Concierge on (03) 9278 4444.

Outdoor dining structures build on footpath trading. They are built structures that business owners can use for outdoor dining and leave out at the end of the day. They often feature awnings and a roof to create a semi-enclosed space. You must be able to remove the structure when the permit expires.

There are a number of rules you must follow to set up an outdoor dining structure. For example, horizontal awnings must have a vertical clearance of at least 2.4 m from the ground to its underside, and must not extend over the roadway or a nearby car park.

Our Outdoor Dining Structure Guidelines include more information about the rules you need to follow and the permit application process. These guidelines are available in the downloads section below.

How to apply

Step 1: pre-application process

You will need to complete the pre-application process for the Outdoor Dining Structures permit to confirm you are eligible. This helps to avoid any unnecessary costs and time.

We recommend you don’t start working with designers or related building or planning approvals until you have received pre-application confirmation from us.

You need to provide the following documents for the pre-application process:

• Site plan showing the proposed structure, including site dimensions, dimensions of proposed structure, and location of any infrastructure.
• A Before you Dig report from the Before you Dig Australia website.

An Outdoor Dining Structures Permit is only a possibility if:

• the footpath outside your business is at least 3 metres wide 
• the area outside your business does not to have any underground or above ground infrastructure.  

If your site does not meet these conditions, you will not be eligible for an Outdoor Dining Structures Permit.

Submit a pre-application form

Step 2: apply for the Outdoor Dining Structures Permit

Once we have reviewed your pre-application and confirmed you can move ahead, you can then apply for the Outdoor Dining Structures Permit.

Apply for an Outdoor Dining Structure Permit

It takes between 2 and 4 weeks to review your Outdoor Dining Structures Permit application. Once we have reviewed your application, we will contact you by email to let you know if your application is successful.

If your application is successful, we will then organise the payment of your Outdoor Dining Structures Permit fee by emailing you the invoice. The invoiced amount is an annual fee. You can find the fee amounts for different locations in Boroondara in the Annual permit fees section on this page.