The City of Vancouver is preparing to revise its restaurant sidewalk and street patio guidelines in 2026, proposing measures that would make patios more accessible, visually appealing and economically viable, while gradually increasing permit fees.
A city staff report to be presented to Vancouver City Council next week recommends new accessibility requirements for curbside patios, greater design flexibility and simplified permitting for small “window seating areas.” This follows a two-year review involving businesses, accessibility advocates and the hospitality sector.
New accessibility and other design requirements
Businesses operating curbside patios would be required to add accessible seating, ensure handicapped access and install proper drainage under decks to prevent accumulation on sidewalks. A three-year transition period would give companies time to update their structures, and the city plans to offer fee refunds as an incentive for earlier changes.
The program would also expand what is allowed on curbside patios. Proposed changes include encouraging windshields, lightweight shade structures, overhead lighting and larger footprints where space permits – all while maintaining necessary sight lines for vehicular traffic and safety measures such as: B. Barriers.
Based on a city stakeholder survey, 83 percent of companies agreed the policies were clear and 78 percent said accessibility improvements were achievable within the three-year time frame.
Eliminate permit fees for “small sidewalk patios” and relax restroom requirements
The current “small sidewalk patio” category — typically a few bistro tables in front of a storefront — would be renamed “window seating” and include no permit fees and only a simple declaration form rather than a full application. City staff also plan to expand eligibility for this smaller patio typology to non-food businesses.
A second bylaw change would allow businesses to set up outdoor seating without requiring the construction of new restrooms, as long as they already have at least one or two restrooms, depending on patio size. City staff say the approach has been tested successfully in Gastown and along the Granville Street pedestrian zones.
Terrace fees will increase soon
According to city staff, the city government's spending on regulating, monitoring and supporting patio policies is in deficit – annual costs exceed revenue from permit fees, estimated at about $335,000 in 2025 – due to city actions such as installing traffic safety equipment, fee waivers on pedestrianization pilot projects and limited enforcement.
In general, many of the current approaches were put in place at the start of the pandemic, when strict health protection orders led the city to quickly take action to support businesses by expanding their outdoor dining capacity.
To close the local government's cost gap, the city government is proposing an annual fee increase of six percent for three years starting in 2026, in addition to inflation adjustments. They believe this could allow the city to break even by 2028 — even as it offers one-time fee refunds for patios that have been upgraded to new standards.
City staff suggest the changes aim to create a more vibrant and inclusive public space without bogging down businesses in bureaucracy. They also recognize that businesses with patios continue to face increasing labor and patio material costs that exceed city fees.
“A key goal of the proposed program updates is to support accessibility and provide a greater range of design options – without incurring significant additional permitting requirements, costs or review time,” the city staff report states.
“Companies are in a time of rising costs and significant economic uncertainty, and stakeholder engagement indicated that permit fees are a significant issue for the industry. At the same time, companies noted that other cost factors were as important or more important than permit fees, such as the costs of construction, seasonal removal and storage, some application requirements (e.g., professional drawings), and upgrading of decks to meet new program requirements.”
Overall, 80 percent of stakeholders in the city's 2025 Industry Survey supported the policy updates.
If the City Council approves the recommendations, the revised program would take effect for the 2026 patio season. Future planning work is expected to address year-round patios and shared patio types.