Overview

Any bench or seat maintained on a public street or alley for the convenience and comfort of persons waiting for buses or other vehicles must be licensed. There is a maximum of 460 Courtesy Bench Licenses per year and a maximum of 450 licenses per licensee.

Code Requirements

See Chapter 127 of the Saint Paul Legislative Code for information about courtesy benches.

Application Requirements

You must submit an application that includes the following:

  • Courtesy Bench Location List and/or Public Works Bench Location Application
  • $1,000.00 Bond for first licensed bench plus $10 for each additional bench. Bond must be conditioned to indemnify, save harmless, and defend the City of Saint Paul from all damages, judgments, losses, claims, suits, or liability of every kind arising out of the permission and authority granted to the licensee to install and maintain a courtesy bench, and to indemnify the City of Saint Paul for all costs it may incur in removal of such bench if so necessary. The bond shall state that it may not be canceled without the consent of the Department of Public Works of the City of Saint Paul.
  • A Certificate of Insurance with comprehensive protective public liability insurance issued by an insurance company authorized to do business in Minnesota. Must have the City of Saint Paul named as an additional insured. The coverage shall automatically be restored immediately after the occurrence of any accident or loss from which liability may thereafter accrue, and the City of Saint Paul shall be notified ten days in advance of the cancellation of the insurance coverage by the issuing insurance company. In the event that more than one license is issued to one licensee, the minimum amounts of public liability insurance required for one courtesy bench shall be sufficient to indemnify the City of Saint Paul for the additional various courtesy bench licensed locations. Coverage shall include:
    • Bodily Injury, including death in an amount not less than $100,000 for all damages arising out of bodily injuries to or death of one person, and subject to the same limit for each person in a total amount of not less than $300,000 on account of any one accident
    • Property Damage in an amount of not less than $50,000 for all damages to or destruction of property in any one accident
  • Consent of abutting owner in a residential or multiple dwelling zone
  • Required fee

Inspections

This license requires inspection approval from the Department of Public Works (Phone: 651-487-7250).

Fees

See Fee Table for current License fees

Expiration/Renewal

A Courtesy Bench License expires one year from the date of issue and may be renewed annually.

Last Edited: September 29, 2023