Terrace license. Types and documentation.

Types of terrace license.

When it comes to placing furniture on the sidewalks, squares or bar terraces, you must have a license from the City Council.

The Municipal Ordinance of occupation of public roads of each City Council is in charge of establishing the amount of furniture that you can put on the terrace.

You get the license, or permit, by making a request to the City Council with the necessary technical documentation, plans and the technical report.

As for the types of licence, we find several types of licenses for bar terraces:

• Annual license: it is the one that is valid for the whole year.
• Seasonal licences: these are licenses for summer terraces (March to October), for which the cost of these licenses is usually higher and depends on municipal ordinances.
• Temporary license: it is used for certain dates, such as those of festivities, whether they are regional or from a specific area.

How to apply for a terrace license for a bar, restaurant or cafeteria?

First of all, you’ll need to gather the necessary documentation and once you have all the documents, go to the town hall. But keep in mind that, in order to apply for a license, the terrace must meet a number of requirements that depend on each municipality, so you will have to consult the regulations of each one.

These requirements are usually: allow pedestrian passage without completely invading the public thoroughfare and also take into account the size of the elements and their layout, time slot and type of space in which they are located.

Normally, a terrace license or occupation of public roads is a license that is expressly granted, so it usually takes weeks or months to be granted.

Who can apply for a terrace bar license?

If you are the owner of a bar, cafeteria or restaurant, whether you are a natural person or a legal entity, you can request a terrace license from the City Council of your city, but that doesn’t mean that they’ll always grant you that license.

It is important to point out that the moment you have a terrace license, your premises will become public if not already, so you must have a license of this style and comply with more regulations, such as those of universal accessibility.

How much does a terrace license cost?

Each municipality establishes the cost according to its ordinances, and in addition the price will be variable, depending on:

• The time of year.
• The surface of the terrace.
• The fiscal category of the streets in which the terrace will be installed.
• The amount of furniture and the type of elements to be installed.

It’s best to ask the town hall or a specialized technician.

Necessary documentation for the terrace license.

As we have seen before, to obtain a terrace license you will need the following documentation:

• Completed form.
• Photocopy of the applicant’s DNI.
• Photocopy of the opening or operating license in the applicant’s name.
• Situation plan.
• Floor plan and elevation of the terrace.
• List of furniture, different elements and surfaces of the terrace.
• Adjacent local authorization.
• Authorization from the Community of Owners (if the terrace is on private land, but is for public use).

Step by step terrace license process.

If you have decided to open a terrace, you are going to need a license to do so, so, first of all, you have to go to the Town Hall, where they will give you a series of forms that you have to fill out in reference to the space you are going to occupy, the arrangement of furniture and other elements, the time slot by which the bar terrace will be governed, etc.

This is the step by step to get your license for a terrace:

• First of all you will need to get all the necessary documentation, this will consist of: A photocopy of the license to open a bar, cafeteria or similar in your name, which is valid before making the request, a map on the distribution of all the elements of the terrace, the authorization of adjoining premises (it is necessary that the surrounding premises have given their authorization), the authorization of the community of owners (if it is a private space for public use), and also a photocopy of the DNI.
• Second, you are going to get in touch with a technician and/or architect to whom you’ll have to give all that documentation so that he can write and complete the license.
• Third, once the architect has drawn up that license, you are going to present it to the town hall.
• Fourth, once the license is presented at the town hall, you will have to pay the fees that the license will carry.
• Fifth, the city council will make an inspection to be able to grant, or not, the license.
• Sixth, the city council will request more documentation (only in some cases)
• Seventh, your license will be processed and granted.

This procedure can be very messy and it is always better to leave it in the hands of professionals who will ensure that the license is not denied.

How long does a terrace license take?

Each town hall has deadlines, which may vary depending on the procedures required in each case.

The normal thing is that in three months you have the signed papers and the active license, but in the big cities this period can be up to a year.

In any case, this type of license does not usually have a responsible declaration format, so you have to wait for it to be granted by the town hall and this, obviously, can take a long time depending on the town hall.

Key points.

When processing a license for a terrace, you will have to take into account the following:

• The feasibility of the terrace and the authorization of the community and the neighbors.
• The type of license you will need, depending on the period and time in which you want to put the terrace.
• Have the correct business license and meet all requirements.
• Collect all the necessary documents for its expedition.

If you are thinking of requesting this type of license, do not hesitate, write to us in our contact media and let’s talk about terrace licenses.