Morristown Business Reopening Guidance

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Morristown Business Reopening Guidance

6.29.20 Governor Murphy Signs Executive Order Temporarily Pausing the Resumption of Indoor Dining

EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 158

Morristown Specific Reopening Guidance

Town specific guidance will be posted. Please use the links to the State of NJ reopening guidance for general information and requirements.

Sidewalk Cafe Expansions

The Town of Morristown has waived the $250 Sidewalk Cafe Fee for 2020

A café may extend in front of adjacent business(es) with the permission of the property owner and the affected business(es). This is especially effective when hours are complementary.
A café may be placed in front of your establishment from your storefront to the curb
A café may be placed in front of your establishment into the parking stall(s) immediately in front that are not otherwise occupied or dedicated for loading, curbside pick-up or handicapped parking. Should this be approved, the Town will provide safety barriers to be placed on the street side of the parking space. Barriers are available on a first come first served basis while supplies last. We will do our best to accommodate requests.
A café may be placed on adjacent private vacant property (like a parking lot or lawn) with the permission of the property owner.

Each business who wants to have a sidewalk café in the public right-of-way and/or is seeking a COVID 19 Expansion of Premises Permit from the State ABC must submit an application (forms linked) for a permit through the Clerk’s Office that includes:

Completed Application
Certificate of Liability Insurance
Diagram of proposed café including dimensions and placement of furnishings
Signed affidavit(s) from each property owner and affected business for any café that expands to another property giving permission for the café placement.

Please review before you apply:

Morristown Outdoor Dining Guidance and Regulations UPDATED 6-22-2020

Morristown Outdoor Dining Guidance 6-5-2020

Morristown Sidewalk Café Permit Application

EO 150

NJ Department of Health Executive Directive No. 20-014 – Covid-19 Protocols for Food or Beverage Establishments Offering Service In Outdoor Areas Pursuant To Executive Order No. 150

SR 2020-10 (re: Temporary COVID-19 Permit to Expand Liquor License)

COVID 19 Expansion of Premises Permit: ABC has created a new permit to allow licensees to expand their licensed premises onto nearby property to accommodate reasonable seating capacity while observing social distancing guidelines. This permit will be available to all licensees with retail consumption privileges and will allow expansion privileges subject to local approval.

Office of the Town Clerk
Morristown Town Hall
200 South Street,1st Floor
Morristown, New Jersey 07960
Office Hours: 8:30am – 4:30pm
(973) 292-6636

townclerk@townofmorristown.org

Special Statement from the Town of Morristown

Since the State began allowing outdoor dining and limited retail, the Town has worked hard with our local businesses to allow them to begin serving customers and recoup financial losses from the closures needed during the ongoing public health emergency. Many of our established restaurants and retailers have worked hard to pivot their business model to comply with the State regulations and ensure the health of their patrons. Unfortunately, despite our best efforts to the contrary, not all businesses followed the guidelines and we had to shut them down.

As we continue to reopen, we are entering new territory of things we’ve never before had to contemplate. With new things come lessons learned and this is what we’re doing to ensure that we don’t have the same issues going forward:

Capacity of an expansion area will be limited to the number of seats approved as part of a socially distanced layout
No standing patrons will be permitted; everyone must be seated to be served
No patrons are permitted self-service of alcohol unless served to go in compliance with the State’s guidelines; all on-premise alcohol service must be done by wait staff to seated patrons
Capacity for any outside dining area or expansion will be limited to no more than the indoor capacity of the associated business

Furthermore, we remind our businesses of the following guidelines which are outlined in the Governor’s Executive Order 150 including ensuring the all staff are wearing a face covering and that lines of patrons waiting for seating adhere to social distancing guidelines and do not block and otherwise impede the sidewalk.

We want all of Morristown’s businesses to succeed into the future and will continue to do our best to support those efforts, but we must ensure the safety and welfare of our residents and visitors first and will not tolerate any business that does not work with us to achieve that goal.