The City established the temporary L.A. Al Fresco program in May 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic and emergency to allow restaurants to operate outdoor dining areas. The program streamlined the permitting process by temporarily bypassing many regulations, including the Municipal Code and Zoning Code. This temporary program created a lifeline for many restaurants to resume operations and stay financially viable during the pandemic and emergency when indoor dining was limited due to local emergency orders. More than 3,000 restaurants citywide have participated in the temporary L.A. Al Fresco program.
LADOT is supporting L.A. Al Fresco by providing Temporary Use Authorizations for outdoor dining on the street (curbside or parking lane dining) to support restaurants and bars impacted by COVID-19. LADOT reviews applications for on-street dining, and upon approval, provides and installs barriers at no cost to businesses
For any questions, please email us at ladot.alfresco@lacity.org
Restaurants have until September 30, 2023 to apply under the temporary program and receive temporary authorizations for outdoor dining. These authorizations will be valid until December 31, 2023. LADOT is responsible reviewing and approving applications for curbside and parking lane dining, and will install new dining areas subject to availability of equipment. At this time, the City is not intaking application for permanent outdoor dining.
- Click here to apply for sidewalk and/or private property dining authorizations (English)
- Click here to apply for sidewalk and/or private property dining authorizations (Spanish)
- Click here to apply for curbside and/or parking lane dining authorizations (English)
- Click here to apply for curbside and/or parking lane dining authorizations (Spanish)
The L.A. Al Fresco Program was praised as being highly successful, not only for extending economic support to restaurants but also to the public for providing outdoor spaces where people could enjoy social dining in an environment that reduced the risk of exposure to the coronavirus. In a survey of curbside dining participants, 81% of businesses report they would have closed permanently without the outdoor dining provided by the L.A. Al Fresco program.
Due to the success of the temporary L.A. Al Fresco program, the City Council instructed City departments to establish permanent rules for outdoor dining on private property, sidewalks, and in-street.
The City has determined that the existing Revocable Permit (R-Permit) process to be the best permitting pathway for on-street dining areas in the future. The City is currently in the process of upgrading the R-Permit application system to add on-street dining as an encroachment option, and is also finalizing the rules and requirements for on-street dining in the future. Existing restaurants with Temporary Use Authorizations for on-street dining will need to apply for an R-Permit when it becomes available.
On June 23, 2023, LADOT presented its Proposed Policy for On-Street Dining to the Board of Public Works. You can access the presentation slides below, and the recording of the meeting here.
LADOT recently completed a two-month public comment period on the department’s Proposed Policy for On-Street Dining. Thank you to everyone that submitted feedback. LADOT is currently reviewing all public comments will use this feedback to inform a final policy in September 2023.
- LADOT Draft On-Street Dining (English) (Spanish)
- Fact Sheet (June 2023) (English) (Spanish)
- Frequently Asked Questions (June 2023) (English) (Spanish)
- Summary of Program Fees (June 2023)
- Board of Public Works Presentation Slides (June 2023)