Temporary Outdoor Patios & Retail Spaces

For questions about this pilot project please email amody@peaceriver.ca.

Temporary Program – Extended

The Town of Peace River is continuing to support and provide increased flexibility for businesses by allowing for temporary patios and retail spaces on certain public property and private property. The approach is a streamlined and free process where businesses simply review the Temporary Outdoor Patio & Retail Space Guidelines and the Project Declaration Form, ensure they can comply and submit an executed Project Declaration Form to the Town. In many instances, the only permit or formal approval required will be a fire inspection. Once the Project Declaration Form has been submitted, the business can proceed to create an outdoor patio or retail space in line with the requirements in the Guidelines.

Temporary patios and retail spaces will be allowed to operate:

  1. Year round for private property.
  2. Year round for public parks, municipally owned parcels (that are not parking spaces), and reserve parcels that have received additional approval from the Town as the landowner.
  3. Annually, from April 1 to November 4 or until winter road conditions arise as determined by the Town, whichever is sooner, for sidewalks and municipally owned off-street parking spaces that have received additional approval from the Town as the landowner.
  4. Annually, from April 30 to September 30 or until winter road conditions arise as determined by the Town, whichever is sooner for on-street parking spaces.

The Town will provide 24 hours notice of winter road conditions to applicable businesses. *This date may be revised if there is an early spring.

General Information

If your business is interested in setting up a temporary outdoor patio or retail space, the process is quick and easy. Simply follow the steps listed here and you are good to go!

Step #1:

Review the Town of Peace River Temporary Outdoor Patio & Retail Space Guidelines and the Project Declaration Form to ensure that your design will comply with all of the requirements. If you are a commercial tenant, it is your responsibility to ensure that the landowner consents to your proposal. If there are other businesses adjacent to you or on the same property that could be affected by your proposal, make sure they are aware of it.

Step #2:

Using an aerial print out or copy of a plan you already have, you can draw the proposed boundaries of the patio or retail space on the plan (doesn’t have to be fancy – a square with a marker showing the area on an aerial photo is sufficient). See aerial imagery of the Town. Keep in mind all of the guidelines, but most importantly:

  • Maintain pedestrian and vehicular flow
  • Ensure that you are not occupying any barrier-free parking spaces designated for persons with disabilities
  • Ensure impacts are mitigated to adjacent businesses and plans are maintained in front of your business only

Step #3:

Review the Project Declaration Form. Ensure your proposal complies with the Guidelines once again and submit the signed and initialled Project Declaration Form to smartineau@peaceriver.ca. In addition to the Project Declaration Form, submit the site plan you prepared in Step 2. If a Roadside Development Permit from Alberta Transportation is also required, obtain and submit that permit along with the Declaration. For detailed information about how to do so, visit the Alberta Transportation website.

If you are proposing to use any public property, including sidewalks, public parking areas, park areas, or Town-owned parcels of land, you must also obtain insurance and provide a copy of your insurance certificate to the Town to keep on file. The Town will review and provide a confirmation that the insurance information is sufficient back to you. Once you have this confirmation, you can proceed with creating your patio space.

Step #4:

Start creating your space! Utilize planters and other fun elements to create a temporary space that attracts customers while respecting adjacent businesses and follows Town guidelines.

Step #5:

Once your patio space is completed, contact Peace River Fire Department at 780-624-2993 to set up an inspection to determine the maximum occupant load for your patio. You must do this before you begin using the space.

If you want a liquor license for your patio area the following additional steps apply.

Step #6:

You must obtain AGLC approval. For detailed information about how to do so, visit the AGLC’s website. The following is general information only.
In order to receive temporary AGLC approvals, the outdoor patio must be suitably defined (e.g., enclosed by planters, a rope, railing or similar barrier). The following documents will need to be provided to AGLC:

  1. Site plan of the proposed outdoor patio
  2. Occupant Load Certificate
  3. Documentation/Approval from the Town of Peace River (if located within a public right-of-way), or approval from landlord if the outdoor space is in a commercial area

You are responsible for obtaining all required approvals for your space, including Alberta Transportation and AGLC approval, and complying with the conditions and requirements of all such approvals.

Forms & Publications

Please review the guidelines for this program then sign and submit the declaration.