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On the RecordRegister to voteGeneral Election, November 3, 2026

Question 1

Proposed Charter Amendment: Speed Up Process for Granting a Revocable Consent to Use Public Space

Reviewed Oct 23, 2026. Every line below is quoted from its source; only the headings are ours.

The question, as the ballot prints it

Simplify process to use public space for uses such as ramps, planters and cafes, by removing mandatory hearings and Council disapproval of sidewalk cafes, while maintaining community and Council input.

“Yes” speeds up process to use public space while maintaining community input. “No” maintains longer process with mandatory public hearing to use public space and Council review of sidewalk cafes.

Proposed Ballot Questions, NYC Board of ElectionsAbstract, NYC Board of Elections

The Board's official text in: Español简体中文繁體中文한국어বাংলাTagalogاردو

What it would change, in the official abstract

This proposal would simplify the process for the City to grant a “revocable consent” to a property owner to use public property for private use like benches, ramps, planters, and cafes. It would eliminate a requirement that a City agency hold a hearing prior to granting a revocable consent and remove the requirement to publish notice in newspapers in advance of public hearings for revocable consents and franchises. With respect to sidewalk cafes, this proposed Charter amendment would remove City Council’s power to disapprove a sidewalk cafe, while retaining the requirement that notice be provided to the relevant Community Board, Borough President and Councilmember.

Proposed Changes

This proposal would remove the requirement that all revocable consents undergo a public hearing. Instead, DOT or OTI could choose whether to hold a public hearing on a proposed revocable consent in its discretion.

Notice of a public hearing for a revocable consent or a franchise would no longer need to be published in newspapers, and notice would only need to be published in the City Record for 6 days, instead of 15. DOT or OTI would need to provide notice of a petition for revocable consent to the Community Board, City Council member, and Borough President, and provide an opportunity for them to submit comments.

Sidewalk cafes would become subject to the same process as all other revocable consents. This would mean that the City Council would no longer have authority to disapprove the granting of a revocable consent for a sidewalk cafe.

Revocable Consents, Implementation

Revocable Consents

Private individuals and entities can use City-owned public space only in certain circumstances and only with permission from the City. A private company offering a public service, like an electrical utility or bus shelters, must obtain a franchise from the City to install their infrastructure. The City grants authority to construct and maintain structures on or under the streets or sidewalks through what is called a “revocable consent.”

Revocable consents are often granted to property or business owners to place objects on the sidewalk in front of their property. Common types of revocable consents include permission to construct an accessible entrance ramp, an enclosure to store garbage cans, or a bench located on a sidewalk. A restaurant owner must obtain a license and a revocable consent to operate a sidewalk cafe or roadway cafe in front of their business. The City can revoke a revocable consent at any time. Each revocable consent requires an annual payment to compensate the City for the use of the public property.

To obtain a revocable consent, an individual or business entity must file a petition with the Department of Transportation (DOT). DOT, or, in the case of telecommunications infrastructure, the Office of Technology and Innovation (OTI), must hold a public hearing, and the petitioner must pay to publish notice of that hearing twice in local newspapers. The local Community Board and City Council member must also be notified, and notice must be published in the City Record for 15 days. DOT (or OTI, with DOT’s approval) may then grant the revocable consent, subject to the approval of the Mayor. Similar hearing and notice requirements apply to franchises.

Revocable consents for sidewalk cafes are subject to additional procedural requirements. A proposed sidewalk cafe must undergo review by the local Community Board, and, if DOT grants the revocable consent, the City Council can vote to disapprove it. Roadway cafes, which involve cafe seating on the street rather than the sidewalk, are not subject to these additional requirements.

Implementation

These proposed Charter amendments would take effect on March 1, 2027, and would not apply to any petition for a revocable consent submitted before that date.

NYC Board of Elections · Abstracts of the proposed ballot questions

The Board's official text in: Español简体中文繁體中文한국어বাংলাTagalogاردو

Who put it on the ballot

5 more

For and against, in their own words

12 more

The money

Nothing on the record found, as of Oct 20, 2026.

  • The New York City Council

    This bill would repeal the sidewalk cafe licensing provisions in title 20 of the Administrative Code. It would streamline the licensing and revocable consent process in title 19 of the Administrative Code and permit year round sidewalk cafe dining and seasonal roadway cafe dining.

    The New York City Council · Int 0031-2022

Candidates on it

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What people are saying

Reading it the other way