COVID-era provision extending outdoor dining passes Pa. senate

Legislation based on a bill by Lehigh Valley Senator Lisa Boscola updating the state’s liquor code and aiding local restaurants was passed by the Pennsylvania Senate.

Sponsored by Rep. Matthew Gergely, D-Allegheny, the bill makes permanent COVID-era outdoor seating provisions at licensed establishments. It passed 47-3 and now returns to the House of Representatives for concurrence.

Boscola, D-Northampton, joined a majority of members of the Senate to pass the bipartisan legislation based on her Senate Bill 1180.

“Providing for outdoor seating was a lifeline for restaurants both here in the Lehigh Valley and across Pennsylvania during the pandemic,” Boscola said in a statement. “The restaurant industry continues to face many challenges and this legislation will be beneficial to a significant number of these small businesses.”

Enacted in 2021 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the outdoor seating provision provided restaurants flexibility in responding to the pandemic and the restrictions it placed on their businesses. Per a release, the provision extended the establishment’s licensed premises to include any outside serving area immediately adjacent to the existing licensed areas; or within one thousand feet of the main licensed building.

The provision is now permanent under the amendment, allowing restaurants to continue serving patrons in outdoor seating areas.

“Restaurants found that these extensions were popular with customers and helped with the bottom line. This bill makes sure that they are now here to stay,” said Boscola.

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