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The Davis City Council voted Tuesday to approve a slate of changes to outdoor dining rules aimed at spurring economic development downtown.
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City staff said the administrative changes will “create a unified and equitable permitting process that will lead to a vibrant, safe, and economically viable setting within which the Downtown restaurants and bars can thrive,” according to a staff report.
Businesses interested in outdoor dining in Davis have faced inconsistent requirements, costs and administrative hurdles, Brett Lee, executive director of the Downtown Davis Association, said in an interview. That inconsistency has prevented some restaurants from offering outdoor dining, which brings rental fees and tax revenue to the city, he said.
The code changes are “relatively minor,” Assistant City Planner Samantha Bailey said during a public hearing last month. The hearing followed a July 8 Planning Commission meeting at which the commission voted unanimously to support the changes. The council took no action during the August hearing.
In December 2022, Davis adopted a new downtown development plan aimed at encouraging downtown development and diversifying city revenue. The plan led to the October 2024 introduction of an outdoor dining program designed to streamline approval of outdoor dining spaces on city property. Businesses approved under the revamped outdoor dining program include Woodstock’s Pizza, Red 88 and Temple Coffee Roasters, all on G Street in downtown Davis.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Davis’ Community Development Department issued temporary use permits allowing restaurants to offer outdoor dining.
Outdoor dining on downtown Davis sidewalks and in parking spaces predates the pandemic, but the program was never formalized, Lee said.
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“With the pandemic, a lot more outdoor seating areas were created, but it was still not a set procedure,” Lee said. “There was some variability, it was kind of a case-by-case basis.”
Pandemic-era permits were revoked or allowed to expire after restrictions ended. More recently, regulations related to alcohol consumption and sales implemented during the pandemic expired on July 1.
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The city expects the program to generate about $50,000 in rental fees annually. But outdoor dining’s value to the city should not be measured solely by rental income, Lee said. City rental fees should be high enough to ensure public spaces are well maintained without overburdening Davis businesses because outdoor dining brings other tangible and intangible benefits, he said.
“Outdoor dining just gives a place a more pleasant feel,” Lee said. “It’s just a more inviting kind of thing.”
Under the ordinance, businesses that offer outdoor dining must ensure their existing spaces meet the new standards by Dec. 15.
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This story was originally published September 2, 2026 at 6:00 AM.