A curb lane café in Toronto pays $132.42 plus HST per square metre for the 2026 seasonal permit, and a new applicant also pays a one-time $865 plus HST application fee. Sidewalk cafés pay less per square metre, at $44.14 plus HST on the City’s permit page. These are full-cost fees after a three-year phase-in that ended in 2025, so 2026 is not a sudden new charge.
What CaféTO covers
CaféTO is the City program that lets restaurants and bars use public space. It has sidewalk cafés, curb lane cafés built in a parking or travel lane, and endorsements for private patios. In 2025 it supported roughly 1,500 outdoor dining spaces, including 285 curb lane cafés and 579 sidewalk cafés. The fees below apply to the two that use City space.
The 2026 curb lane fees
Permits cost $132.42 plus HST per square metre, and the total is set when the application is approved, based on café size. A new operator pays the $865 plus HST application fee once and is not refundable. It is not charged on a renewal or on a rejected application. Transferring a permit to another operator costs a one-time $676.27 plus HST.
A square metre is about 11 square feet, so the permit runs roughly $12.30 per square foot for the season.
The sidewalk café fees
The City’s Sidewalk Café Permit page lists an area fee of $44.14 plus HST per square metre, effective January 1, 2025, and a one-time application fee of $1,016.55 per application. We found no separate 2026 sidewalk rate, so check that page before you budget.
Small frontage cafés, no more than 0.8 metres by 5.5 metres with a 2.1 metre pedestrian clearway, pay no application or permit fees. The curb lane rate is exactly three times the sidewalk rate, which fits a café that takes over road space and needs a platform.
Two sample bills
Take a curb lane café of 20 square metres, about 215 square feet. The permit is 20 times $132.42, or $2,648.40, plus $344.29 in HST, for $2,992.69. A new operator adds $865 and $112.45 in HST, so the first year totals $3,970.14. A renewal stays at $2,992.69. Over a May to October season of about 184 days, that is roughly $16.26 a day.
Now a sidewalk café of 15 square metres. The area fee is 15 times $44.14, or $662.10. Add the $1,016.55 application fee for $1,678.65, and HST of $218.22 brings it to $1,896.87. The page describes the application fee as per application, so ask the City whether it repeats each year.
How the fees got here
Council waived CaféTO fees from 2020 to 2022. In 2023 it cut all permit and application fees by 66% and phased them in over three years, with the full amount charged in 2025. We could not find the 2025 curb lane rate, so we cannot say how much the rate changed from 2025 to 2026. A claim of a tripling in one year needs a source.
Dates for 2026
Curb lane applications ran from January 7 to February 11, 2026, and are now closed. Platform designs were due April 15. Permits were processed from April 15 to May 18, and cafés could open from May 1. Platforms must be installed by June 1. The removal window is October 1 to October 15.
What operators need
A curb lane operator needs $2,000,000 of general liability insurance naming the City as additional insured, in the same name as the Municipal Business Licence. The package also needs a temporary accessible platform design stamped or signed by a licensed professional. The City rejects applications with false information or with unpaid fees or fines. Sidewalk cafés need at least $2,000,000 of insurance against bodily injury.
Help with the cost
The City’s CaféTO grant pays half of eligible property or site improvements, up to $5,000. Up to $2,500 more covers exterior accessibility work, and professional fees are covered up to $1,000. The page lists the grant as closed and gives no 2026 deadline.
Restaurant owners can check the 13% on any fee with the GST/HST calculator. To see how patio season fits your own spending, try the budget calculator. See also the PST / QST Sales Tax calculator, and the full set of tax calculators.
Sources
- City of Toronto, Returning Curb Lane Café Operators
- City of Toronto, Sidewalk Café Permit
- City of Toronto, Council approves CaféTO changes
Common questions
How much is a CaféTO curb lane permit in 2026?
What does a sidewalk cafe permit cost?
Are CaféTO fees new in 2026?
When did 2026 curb lane applications close?
Last reviewed: . Figures come from the official sources listed above. How we check the numbers and our editorial policy.