Institutional portal - Municipality of Milan

Milan, 16 December 2020 – The City Council has approved the Regulation on temporary light occupations of public land, the new legislation that regulates the installation of small tables and light dehors on public land, ensuring coexistence between residential functions, commercial activities and urban decoration.

The Regulation concerns the installation of readily removable light structures such as tables, chairs, umbrellas, tents, flower boxes, whose technical and aesthetic characteristics will be defined on the basis of a list of furnishings that will be drawn up by the Administration. The regulation has an experimental duration of one year and applies in full to all new requests that are presented. The concessions already issued during 2020 may instead be maintained under current conditions until January 2022, without prejudice to the provisions on safety and public order.

Below are some of the main requirements.

The Municipality can identify urban areas in which the installation of structures is not permitted or is permitted in a limited manner, for example due to the presence of monumental or environmental constraints and the need to guarantee public safety.

Occupations must always guarantee at least 2 meters for pedestrian transit, at least 1,5 if the occupation is on the roadway, at least 3 meters from street furniture elements such as benches.
In the presence of pedestrian areas and squares, the Administration will be able to define a maximum limit for the sizing of public land occupations to allow plurality of use in relation to the urban context of the neighborhood.

For pavements with a width greater than 4 metres, the portion of occupied ground is limited to 50% of the width, while for occupations on the carriageway, in roads compatible with safety parameters, spaces overall exceeding 10 linear meters will not normally be granted. , except for specific assessments.

As regards the installation of furniture on green areas, a minimum distance of 2 meters must always be guaranteed around the trees and any pruning or felling intervention will be prohibited. The public space granted under concession must always be maintained in perfect hygienic-sanitary conditions and in safe and decorous conditions. The established municipalities and urban commercial districts will have a role in facilitating and fruitfully mediating public and private interests.

The Regulation allows the Administration to define different opening and closing times for individual businesses or certain streets and neighborhoods and in specific time slots a ban on the take-away sale, including through vending machines, of drinks in glass or tin containers may be introduced. , except for home delivery.

In case of violation of the legislative provisions regarding the prevention of the spread of Covid-19, the police may order the temporary closure of the business or establishment for up to five days. A sanction regime is also foreseen in the event of disturbance to public peace or non-compliance with the established employment parameters.

Merchants will be able to submit an application for employment through a dedicated IT platform and will receive feedback within 15 days, except for those involving changes to road regulations, for which feedback is expected within 30 days.