City of West Hollywood
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Outdoor Use Temporary Zones for Businesses
Expand Your Business Outdoors through an OUT Zone
Effective December 13, 2021 - New OUT Zone applications will be accepted for Restaurants/Dining establishments only.
Through the Outdoor Use Temporary Zone (OUT Zone), the City offers streamlined approval for eligible businesses to use sidewalks on the frontage of their business and private parking lots as areas to expand business your operations. This permit is free, and all parking requirements have been temporarily waived.
Apply for your OUT Zone Permit
City Council approved Ordinance 20-1106U and 20-1110U establishing the Temporary Outdoor Expansion Permit, including the following standards
Resources for Applicants
- Step-by-step guide to create your own site plan using Sketchup
- Example Site Plan
- Liability insurance requirements for expanding into public right-of-way
- If serving alcohol, businesses must obtain an ABC-218 CV19 Permit from the Alcohol Beverage Control Board
In February 2023, the City of West Hollywood began the process of updating current outdoor dining policies that will permanently support expanded outdoor dining in limited circumstances. Additional details will be made available soon.
For any questions, please contact planning@weho.org.
OUT Zone Background
During the most acute stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, the City of West Hollywood responded in a variety of creative ways to community needs as we all navigated the pandemic.
In July 2020, the City began a Temporary Outdoor Expansion Permit (TOEP) program by offering streamlined approval for businesses to use sidewalks, on-street parking spaces, and private parking lots as areas to expand operations while protecting health and safety.
The program was expanded and given a fresh, new name: OUT Zones (Outdoor Use Temporary Zones). These temporary expansions provided outdoor commercial space in public right-of-way for restaurants, shops, and personal care establishments to move operations outside to ensure social (physical) distancing and meet with health orders from the state and the county. More than 60 West Hollywood businesses participated in the temporary OUT Zone program.