7 hours Ago
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has extended the city’s permanent outdoor dining program to December 31, 2025, with new applications accepted for those operating with temporary permits. Today’s announcement also allows outdoor dining through the al fresco program to continue until the end of next year, providing a much-needed source of revenue for restaurants. Since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Al Fresco Temporary Authorization initiative has provided helpful accommodation for restaurants when indoor dining was restricted.
The city of Los Angeles launched the al fresco initiative in May 2020 , allowing restaurants to convert public spaces like sidewalks and parking lots into outdoor dining areas due to the pandemic ban on indoor dining. Over the years, the program has reshaped outdoor dining culture in Los Angeles, occupying makeshift parklets and areas in parking lots, sidewalks, and alleyways. Before the pandemic, outdoor dining permits were costly and took months or even years to get approval.
Under this initiative, officials are supposed to review and process al fresco applications within 30 days. Since 2023, the Mayor’s office and LA City Council have taken steps to alter and transition the temporary program into a more permanent Al Fresco Outdoor Dining Program. This week’s deadline is the program’s second extension from Bass, who made a similar postponement in June 2024.
Several LA restaurants (who asked not to share their business names) have reported to Eater that the al fresco application approval process has recently been slow, and the December 31, 2024 deadline might force them to remove the structures built in parklets, sidewalks, and parking lots. This additional extension gives the program another year to sort itself out, though a truly permanent solution for these outdoor dining permits has not been established. Restaurants looking to extend their outdoor dining permit can apply here .
In a press release today, Bass said, “Thousands of businesses have been assisted this year building on our momentum to change City Hall into an advocate for businesses — not a barrier. That’s why we’re extending the Al Fresco Outdoor Dining Program deadline. We must support businesses and help them thrive.
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