Mayor Mamdani signs law allowing year-round sidewalk dining in New York City

On Monday, Mayor Zohran Mamdani enacted a package of statutes that restores year-round outdoor dining for New York City eateries, staging the signing on a mock restaurant set outside City Hall. The reforms cancel a three-year policy that forced sidewalk sheds to be taken down from Nov. 30 to March 31, allowing permits that let structures remain in place all year, though winter hours will be limited to 11 p.m. and operators must keep the areas free of trash, graffiti and vermin.

Council Member Lincoln Restler, who sponsored the measure, highlighted the expected boost to thousands of restaurants and the local economy. The city’s Department of Transportation will open an online application system in early September, offering existing vendors a $630 transition permit and new applicants a choice of year-round or seasonal permits. Participation had fallen to about 2,700 restaurants after earlier seasonal restrictions, and the change aims to reverse that decline.