Fall 2022 • PENNSYLVANIA RESTAURANT & LODGING matters • 19 Outdoor Dining Pittsburgh City Council in February— with support from PRLA—unanimously approved a bill to make permanent the outdoor dining options available to operators during the COVID-19 mitigation orders. Pittsburgh’s Department of Mobility and Infrastructure (DOMI) finalized their guidelines implementing the program. Of note, the hours of operation for street cafes must be the same as the associated business but no earlier than 7 AM and no later than 10 PM Sunday through Thursday and no later than 11 PM on Friday and Saturday. Businesses in residential zoning districts are limited to hours of operation no later than 10 PM every day, including Friday and Saturday. As of this writing, PRLA is anticipating updated guidance from DOMI on winterization of outdoor set-ups as well as outdoor cooking. Plastic Bag Ban Pittsburgh City Council in April passed an ordinance that will ban most single-use plastic bags and implement a fee of no less than $.10 for paper bags. The ban goes into effect in April 2023. This measure is quite similar to one that already is in place in Philadelphia. Short-Term Rentals Following a shooting at an Airbnb property in the City, Pittsburgh City Council in April introduced legislation to regulate short-term rental units. PRLA has long advocated for a level-playing field for our hotels and PITTSBURGH UPDATE bed and breakfasts as it relates to these online home-sharing platforms, not just to eliminate unfair competition, but also to ensure the health and safety of Pennsylvania visitors. City Council received considerable feedback from stakeholders (including PRLA) during a public hearing in May, and as of this writing, amendments to the legislation are still being drafted. Business License Elimination Pittsburgh City Council this spring voted to eliminate several business licenses that the Department of Permits, Licenses, and Inspections determined to be duplicative and/ or unnecessary and burdensome both for both the City as well as the businesses community. These are the Transient Merchants License, Trade Fairs License, Amusement Places and Producers License, Mechanical Amusement Devices License (e.g. jukebox or video game), and Sign Maintenance Certification.
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