When an outdoor dining space becomes its own building

When does an outdoor restaurant tent cease being Covid-safe? When it has more than one side closed in. 

With restaurants and pubs expanding into the street and adding walls and roofs, Sonoma County has issued guidelines for dining spaces that think they’re banquet rooms.

The Sonoma County Department of Health Service defined how outdoor dining structures must address COVID-19 safety needs. Outdoor dining, bars, pubs, brewpubs, and breweries “may be conducted under a tent, canopy, or other sun shelter but only as long as no more than one side is closed, allowing sufficient outdoor air movement.”

Fire codes are also in play.

The guidelines released today mandate that only one fully-enclosed side wall is allowed. Additionally, the combined side walls of an outdoor dining structure must not have less than 50 percent of unobstructed opening.

“We’ve received a number of calls from restaurant owners wanting clarification and flexibility concerning the rules governing these temporary canopies,” said First District Supervisor Susan Gorin, Chair of the Board of Supervisors. “We hope these new guidelines will help address these concerns, while ensuring the safety of the public during this pandemic.”

The new Sonoma County guidance covers a number of other clarifications including:

• Partial walls are now considered to be any vertical obstruction less than 42 inches in height from the ground or floor and not less than 48 inches of clear opening height above the obstruction.  
• Tables and chairs in outdoor dining areas must be positioned to ensure 6 feet of distance is provided between patrons at other tables. 
• The installation of tent(s) with aggregate space greater than 400 square feet or for the use of 10 or more people requires a permit from the fire code official.  These tents are typically restricted to no more than 180 days in a 12-month period under state statutes but, with routine inspections from the local fire code official, are being allowed to remain for longer than 180 days.
• Propane use under tents is typically prohibited by state statute, but limited use of propane following these guidelines is being allowed when approved and permitted by the local fire code official.
• Tents, canopies and membrane structures shall not be installed within 5 feet of buildings unless approved by the fire code official.

Find the complete Draft Guidelines for Temporary Tents, Canopies and Membrane Structures for Outdoor Business Operations at http://sonomaedb.org/Business-Assistance/Coronavirus/Industry/.