On this page
You can make an application for a parking spot in front of your high street business for parklet use, such as outdoor seating or another appropriate reason. You can lease a parklet spot for the summer season, which runs from April to October.
If no parking space exists in front of your business premises, you will not be able to create a parklet seating area. A parking spot leased as a parklet may not be used as storage space, or for advertising purposes, parking or storing vehicles that either have an engine or must be towed, or to run mobile food premises.
A right to use a parking spot for parklet purposes is always discretionary and granted on a case-by-case basis. If you need more instructions, please contact us at ulkoilma@hel.fi and we will assess whether your plans are viable.
Make an application to lease a parklet spot
Submit an application to lease a parklet spot by using an electronic form and submitting it via the City's online services. Alternatively, you can also use a PDF form. You can identify yourself through suomi.fi in order to log in to the service, either with mobile ID or online banking credentials.
Additional information
If you are unable to use the electronic form, fill in the PDF form and send it together with the necessary appendices via email to ulkoilma@hel.fi(Link opens default mail program). You can check which appendices are required for an outdoor seating application from the list of appendices.
Use the online service
Make an application to lease a parklet spot
Fill in a form
Forms
How much does it cost to lease a parklet spot?
The prices for public parklets outside of high street businesses in public areas have been fixed for a five-year contract period. The price is determined according to two separate pricing zones. Parklets are only available during the summer season. A parklet may also be leased partially, but the price is always based on an entire parking spot and an entire season.
Price list for outdoor seating areas 1 April 2022 – 31 March 2027:
| Season | Seating area 1 | Seating area 2 |
| Summer season 1 April – 31 October | €13.21/m2/month | €9.91/m2/month |
| Winter season 1 November – 31 March | €6.61/m2/month | €4.96/m2/month |
When do I need a permit from the building control services?
You will need a permit from the building control services if your outdoor seating area or its structures
- will be attached to the ground or a building next to the seating area.
- will be covered with a roof, canopy, awning or similar.
- will include fixed walls.
- will be built on a raised deck due to sloping ground and the falling height off the deck will exceed 50 cm at any point.
- will include a serving station whose dimensions exceed 250 x 150 x 220 cm.
- will include sheds or other similar closed or semi-closed structures inside which customers will be.
- will have a lavatory, a stage or a similar structure.
- will include adverts larger than 60 x 60 cm on each wall, or other sales or
- advertising equipment.
- So-called dining pods, which resemble greenhouses and have glass or plastic windows, are treated as conservatories, and therefore they require a permit from the building control services. Dining pods may only be used in outdoor seating areas during the summer season of 1 April – 31 October.
A permit from the building control services is not required for
- parasols and awnings that are not attached to the ground.
- straight awnings that are open on the sides and attached to the building facade.
- small-scale equipment that contain a restaurant’s name or usual information about the prices and opening hours.
A checklist for a parklet permit application
-
Read the guidelines
Before you apply for a parklet permit, read the guidelines on outdoor seating areas, the parklet contract and the parklet drawings.
Apply for a licence to sell alcohol at a parklet from the Regional State Administrative Agency for Southern Finland.
Unfortunately, the CD parking spots reserved for embassies cannot be moved, which means that they may not be used as parklets.
Outdoor seating area guidelines (PDF in Finnish)
-
Find out whether a parking spot can be used as a parklet
The suitability of parking spots as parklets is assessed on a case-by-case basis. You can read more about the factors that affect this suitability in the outdoor seating area guidelines (PDF in Finnish).
Find out whether a parking spot can be used for parklet purposes by contacting the inspectors of outdoor seating and parklet areas via email at ulkoilma@hel.fi(Link opens default mail program). Use the map service(Link leads to external service) to determine the exact location.
-
Get permission from the property owner
Before applying for a permit from the City, you will need written permission for your seating area from the property owner. You can use e.g. the property owner’s consent form (PDF in Finnish) to request permission.
-
Fill in an electronic form
Please use the electronic form to apply for a permit for an outdoor seating area through the City’s online services (in Finnish)(Link leads to external service). You can identify yourself through suomi.fi in order to log in to the service, either with mobile ID or online banking credentials.
If you are unable to use the electronic form, fill in the outdoor seating area application form (pdf in Finnish) and send it together with the necessary appendices via email to ulkoilma@hel.fi(Link opens default mail program). You can check which appendices are required for an application for a parklet area from the list of appendices (PDF in Finnish).
-
Wait for the lease decision
Once your application has been processed, you will receive a lease decision and lease contract, including its terms, conditions and instructions. This contract does not need to be signed.
-
Terminating the contract
You can terminate your contract by submitting a written termination notification (PDF in Finnish) to the inspectors of the Land Use and Monitoring unit via email at ulkoilma@hel.fi(Link opens default mail program).