City to Allow Temporary Expansion of Outdoor Dining Capacity

Today, Mayor Amy Shuler Goodwin announced the City of Charleston will allow, on a temporary basis, the expansion of outdoor dining capacity beyond the limits of storefronts on sidewalks while COVID-19 restrictions are in place. Temporary outdoor dining applications are available at charlestonwv.gov. The fee for filing this application has been temporarily waived.

“With our economy reopening, we want to make sure we are helping our restaurants and other small businesses,” said Mayor Amy Shuler Goodwin. “This additional dining space will allow some of our restaurants to increase their capacity while following the guidelines in Governor Justice’s reopening plan.”

The following restrictions must be in place:

• Tables and chairs must maintain a clear sidewalk path of 48 inches. This may be reduced to 42 inches to navigate around street furniture.
• Tables and chairs should be commercial grade, compliment the streetscape and street furniture and be stable enough to not move in the wind.
• Serving of alcoholic beverages be approved by the WV ABCA.
• Tables and chairs on the sidewalk in front of another business require permission from the property owner.
• A copy of the business establishment’s general liability policy with a minimum of $1,000,000 coverage per each occurrence and naming as additional insured the City of Charleston, its agents, officers, directors and employees.

Applications and any supporting documentation must be filed with the City of Charleston Planning Department by mail to 915 Quarrier Street, Suite 1 Charleston, WV 25301.