Urgency ordinance temporarily relaxes rules to support retail and restaurants in Placer County 

Published on May 28, 2020

The Placer County Board of Supervisors voted this week to temporarily relax ordinances to support outdoor retail sales and outdoor dining areas in response to the COVID-19 crisis.

The board also voted to ease sign requirements and parking restrictions for restaurants with outdoor dining areas.

“Our team is finding creative solutions to help our business communities in the unincorporated areas of Placer County,” said Community Development Resource Agency Director Steve Pedretti. “We hope these options give establishments the flexibility to be more successful while physical distancing restrictions remain in place.”

Urgency ordinance provisions include:

• Outdoor retail sales – Outdoor sales would be permitted to occupy an area up to 100% of the entire indoor floor area devoted to retail sales. Up to 20% of the required parking spaces could be used as permissible outdoor sales and display areas. 
• Restaurants (outdoor dining areas) - Existing restaurants may temporarily establish outdoor eating areas and increase flexibility to expand outdoor dining areas to cordoned off parking areas. Mobile food vendors would be permitted to locate fixed-site operations at a specific site through county approval.
• Restaurant parking for outdoor dining areas - Required parking for outdoor dining areas would be reduced by one parking space per 100 square feet of indoor eating area not in use as a consequence of physical distancing requirements.
• Signs (temporary sales and events) - The urgency ordinance temporarily suspends the 45-day maximum for the placement of banners, signs or decorative materials to advertise outdoor retail sales uses, grand openings and similar short-term sales events until July 10. 
• Signs (prohibited signs and sign materials) - Until July, businesses may display A-frame signs, inflated and lighter- than-air signs such as blimps and balloons, air-induced signs that “wave,” and portable signs not permanently affixed to the ground or a building support structure for up to 45 days.

Additional information about the urgency ordinance is available on the Community Development Resource Agency website at https://www.placer.ca.gov/6613/Retail-Recovery.