Outdoor Refreshment Area permit (if you want outdoor seating)
Seating outside your own unit needs URA planning permission for an Outdoor Refreshment Area.
Not yet independently verified — check the source link: The exact TDL (Temporary Development Levy) or Differential Premium rate for Outdoor Refreshment Area and change-of-use applications wasn't confirmed — the source page 404'd during research. Confirm the current fee with URA/SLA before publishing a specific figure.
Seating outside your own unit needs URA planning permission for an Outdoor Refreshment Area. If that seating sits on State land or a common area — a void deck, a pavement, a shared walkway — you also need a Temporary Occupation Licence from the Singapore Land Authority (SLA). These are two different authorities and two separate applications.
Putting out tables and chairs without permission is enforceable — URA or SLA can require you to remove the seating, and in a common-area case your landlord or town council can object too, since it isn't part of your unit's own leased space.
No ORA-specific page was independently verified this pass — this general guidance is the closest confirmed link. Contact URA directly for ORA-specific fees.
Who this is for
Any venue that wants seating outside its own unit's four walls — a pavement, void deck, or shared common area.
Whether you need the extra SLA licence on top of URA permission depends on whether the area is State land or a common area rather than part of your leased unit.
What you’ll hold
- URA planning permission for the Outdoor Refreshment Area
- SLA Temporary Occupation Licence, if on State land
Watch out for
- Assuming your Food Shop Licence or unit lease covers outdoor seating — it doesn't; the space outside your unit needs its own permission, separate from your indoor premises approval.
- Not checking whether the outdoor area is State land or a common area before applying — this determines whether you need an extra SLA licence on top of URA permission, and the two authorities don't process together automatically.
- Not budgeting for the TDL/Differential Premium since it isn't a fixed published figure — get a specific quote from URA/SLA rather than assuming it's nominal.
Sources
- URA — Change of Use of Property for Business checked 2026-09-08
See also
This is item 25 of 36 in the free Singapore Launch Checklist. See the whole list →