Outdoor Dining: Harford County Executive Waives Code Restrictions

Elizabeth Janney
Updated ·3 min read

BEL AIR, MD — To allow restaurants, bars and breweries to expand their footprints, Harford County Executive Barry Glassman signed an executive order Thursday waiving parts of the county code that will make outdoor dining easier. The executive order takes effect at 5 p.m. Friday, May 29, concurrent with the order Gov. Larry Hogan issued permitting restaurants and bars to serve patrons outside.

In announcing that outdoor dining would be allowed once again in Maryland, the governor called upon the leaders of local jurisdictions to work with businesses to reopen.

"We love the idea of closing streets for outside seating in Little Italy and Fells Point in Baltimore City, on West Street and Main Street in Annapolis, on Bethesda Row and in other towns across the state," Hogan said during a news conference Wednesday where he announced the relaxation of requirements. Hogan said he was "strongly encouraging local leaders to find innovative ways to help support our restaurant businesses."

The executive order that Glassman signed Thursday gives restaurants more space in their parking lots for outside dining by waiving several provisions of Harford County code, including those that have to do with off-street parking requirements, temporary uses, setbacks, seating capacity, outdoor displays, premise signage and outdoor storage.

"This action will make it easier for restaurants to offer outside dining, similar to my prior Executive Order facilitating outdoor retail sales," Glassman said in a statement. "As with each step in reopening, everyone must follow required safety precautions so we can continue moving forward together."

Where is your favorite place to dine outside in Harford County? Tell us in the comments!

The new order from the governor allows restaurants and bars to serve food and drinks to customers in outdoor areas if they meet the following requirements:

  • Diners must sit 6 feet away from each other, unless they are members of the same household.

  • No more than six people may be seated at a table, unless they are members of the same household.

  • Restaurants and bars must clean and disinfect each table between each seating in accordance with guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Maryland Department of Health, using cleaning products that meet U.S. Environmental Protection Agency criteria for use against COVID-19.

  • No buffets are allowed.

  • Staff members wear face coverings when interacting with each other or patrons.

Hogan also said restaurants should offer disposable, single-use menus or sanitize reusable menus between each seating, screen staff through daily temperature checks and train staff members in current COVID-19 guidelines.

The new outdoor dining guidance applies to restaurants and bars as well as social and fraternal clubs, including American Legion posts, VFW posts and Elks Clubs.

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This article originally appeared on the Bel Air Patch