Outdoor dining, seating areas, and signage are integral to creating a vibrant and successful downtown. To facilitate this vibrancy, the City of Loveland offers restaurants and businesses the option of using the public sidewalk (right-of-way) for these amenities.

The review of permits required for the placement of these objects in the right-of-way, also called Encroachment Permits, is critical to ensure adequate pedestrian circulation and reduce safety hazards. In addition, the appearance of these objects contributes greatly to the overall quality of the downtown streetscape, which plays an important role in attracting businesses and financial investments. For these reasons, Community & Strategic Planning Staff, along with Staff from the Public Works Department have developed a set of draft design guidelines for encroachments in the Downtown DT Zone. The intent of the guidelines is to ensure quality materials and compatibility with the character of the downtown area.

Only items installed in a permanent or semi-permanent manner (such as railing enclosures) will require an encroachment permit. However, the appearance of all objects placed in the right-of-way, such as tables, chairs, planters, etc. contributes greatly to the overall quality of the downtown streetscape. Pedestrian safety/circulation is also an important consideration in the placement of these non-permanent items. For these reasons, all items placed in the right-of-way (within the Downtown DT Zone), regardless of whether they require a permit or not, will be required to comply with the Encroachment Design Guidelines.

Community & Strategic Planning Staff is actively working on an outreach effort to educate downtown business and property owners, along with interested citizens. To download the Downtown Encroachment Design Guidelines, please click on the image below.