On March 16, 2020, a local emergency was proclaimed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.  In June of 2020, the City began issuing temporary outdoor dining and operation permits to local businesses interested in serving their patrons in outdoor areas.  Extensions for the City-issued temporary outdoor dining permits were granted a total of ten times to local businesses wishing to continue to operate outdoors.

There are no longer extensions in effect. However, due to the popularity of the outdoor dining experience the City Council adopted Ordinance 23-470 on June 28, 2023.

The ordinance amended the City's outdoor dining regulations to provide relief for restaurants seeking to continue to serve dining patrons in their expanded outdoor seating areas while also creating a holistic approach to reviewing applications.