Fairfax County approves outdoor dining plan. Here are the rules.

The Board of Supervisors in Fairfax County is approving a plan to extend rules for outdoor dining that were put into place during the pandemic.

FAIRFAX, Va. - The Board of Supervisors in Fairfax County is approving a plan to extend rules for outdoor dining that were put into place during the pandemic.

The familiar sight of restaurants setting up tables and chairs outside every day for customers to dine will continue.

A temporary ordinance that was set to expire next month has now been removed, making these spaces all but permanent, says FOX 5’S Maureen Umeh.

But there are rules.

A zoning ordinance amendment that passed Tuesday now allows businesses to use temporary outdoor spaces to set to seating areas using stools, tables, and chairs outside, as long as they do the set-up every day.

Under the approved amendment, restaurants that want to use permanent outdoor furniture would have to get a site plan approved or get a building permit.

A separate permit would also be needed for businesses that want to offer outdoor dining areas in part of a parking lot.

According to the ordinance, outdoor setups have to be on impervious surfaces, such as patios or sidewalks, and "must be clearly demarcated by rope, bollards, planters, or other object."

They also can’t block fire equipment or building entrances and exits.

The size of the outdoor dining area must be equal to or less than 50% of the restaurant’s indoor dining floor area.

Outdoor dining will be allowed during a restaurant’s operating hours but won’t be permitted before 7 a.m. or after 10 p.m. "when located directly adjacent to or abutting single family development," Umeh says.

With the approval of the amendment, Fairfax County joins Vienna, Herndon, Alexandria and Arlington as cities that have approved outdoor dining regulations within the past couple of years.