{"id":251316,"date":"2025-09-24T14:54:16","date_gmt":"2025-09-24T14:54:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/251316\/"},"modified":"2025-09-24T14:54:16","modified_gmt":"2025-09-24T14:54:16","slug":"new-ordinance-would-allow-chicago-restaurants-to-opt-in-as-dog-friendly","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/251316\/","title":{"rendered":"New Ordinance Would Allow Chicago Restaurants To Opt In As \u2018Dog-Friendly\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

LINCOLN PARK \u2014 Chicago restaurants could soon have the option to allow dogs indoors under a new ordinance that will be pitched to the City Council this week.<\/p>\n

Ald. Timmy Knudsen (43rd) is introducing an ordinance that would let restaurant owners choose to allow dogs inside their businesses. Knudsen said the idea is aimed at giving small businesses more flexibility and dog owners more freedom to stop in a coffee shop or restaurant while on a walk with their four-legged friends. <\/p>\n

The measure, which goes before City Council on Thursday, would overhaul city code that currently bans dogs from retail food establishments, except for service animals. Restaurants that want to participate could register as \u201cdog-friendly\u201d businesses by posting signs at their entrances and following a set of health and safety rules.<\/p>\n

Under current city law, restaurants can\u2019t allow dogs inside or on patios unless the animal is a service dog.<\/p>\n

In practice, though, plenty of places bend the rules. Enforcement usually comes only if someone files a complaint, leaving business owners vulnerable to surprise inspections and possible fines.<\/p>\n

Knudsen\u2019s proposal was partly inspired by Sophie Evanoff, owner of Lincoln Park\u2019s Vanille Patisserie at 2108 N. Clark St.<\/p>\n

Evanoff was hit with multiple health inspections after patrons reported dogs inside her shop, and those inspections eat up hours of a business owner\u2019s time and add stress, Knudsen said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s usually several hours on the phone, a lot of preparation goes in and really puts business owners on edge,\u201d Knudsen told Block Club. \u201cWe all know that a lot of businesses have been turning a blind eye to this for a while, but why isn\u2019t there an option?\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Lily the dog sits with her owner Shannon at the bar of GO Tavern and Liquors, 3219 W. Armitage Ave., which is a favorite dive bar in Logan Square \u2014 as seen on Nov. 12, 2024. Credit: Colin Boyle\/Block Club Chicago<\/p>\n

Knudsen worked with the Chicago Department of Public Health and other small businesses to craft a compromise: Let restaurants opt in, but only if they follow a rule book.<\/p>\n

Stipulations in the proposed ordinance include only one dog per patron, dogs must be on a leash at all times and canine friends must have proof of their rabies vaccination, among others.<\/p>\n

Dogs won\u2019t be allowed near kitchens or food prep areas, can\u2019t be fed inside and cannot come into contact with plates, utensils or surfaces under the proposed measure.<\/p>\n

Employees of these restaurants, no matter how friendly the four-legged friends are, are not allowed to pet or touch the dogs while working with food, per the ordinance.<\/p>\n

Businesses that opt in would need to use washable surfaces for tables and floors and report any dog bites to 311. Violations could bring fines ranging from $200 to $1,000 per offense, and repeat violations could trigger license suspension.<\/p>\n

\u201cI do want to stress that the ordinance is only for businesses that really want to sign up for this,\u201d Knudsen said. \u201cAt an extreme, I\u2019ve heard people ask, \u2018You\u2019re going to require that a dog can be sat next to me at Alinea?\u2019 That\u2019s just not the case. There are certain restaurants that would never consider opting into this. But they don\u2019t have to.\u201d<\/p>\n

Knudsen said he sees the measure as not just helping restaurants but also strengthening neighborhoods. Allowing dog owners to spend more time with their pets at local cafes encourages pet ownership, safer communities and local businesses, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor me, it gives business owners the power to run their business and market their business as they want to,\u201d he said. \u201cI think that\u2019s a really powerful thing at a time when businesses are mostly having requirements put on them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Ald. Timmy Knudsen (43rd) speaks during a City Council meeting on July 16, 2025. Credit: Colin Boyle\/Block Club Chicago<\/p>\n

The city\u2019s Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection and the Department of Public Health would enforce the rules. If passed, the changes would take effect 90 days after approval.<\/p>\n

Knudsen said he\u2019s already gotten early support from colleagues and restaurant industry leaders, but he\u2019s open to adjustments if issues come up.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf there is opposition, I\u2019m someone who wants to make ordinances that work,\u201d he said. \u201cWe can never make things work for everybody, but if there are unintended consequences, we can make sure they\u2019re fixed by the process of talking to colleagues, advocacy groups and other groups who might be affected.\u201d<\/p>\n

Listen to the Block Club Chicago podcast:<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"LINCOLN PARK \u2014 Chicago restaurants could soon have the option to allow dogs indoors under a new ordinance…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":251317,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5124],"tags":[960,13239,5386,1818],"class_list":{"0":"post-251316","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-chicago","8":"tag-chicago","9":"tag-city-hall","10":"tag-il","11":"tag-illinois"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115259851921855495","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/251316","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=251316"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/251316\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/251317"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=251316"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=251316"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=251316"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}