Council Eases Streatery Fees, Rules
By • December 9, 2025 0 5
On Tuesday, Dec. 2, the District Council voted unanimously to reduce occupancy fees for streateries and allow additional design flexibility. The legislation went into effect immediately and will be in place for 90 days.
Before the emergency legislation, the District Department of Transportation determined that restaurants would have to pay a streatery permit fee of $260 and a rental fee of $20 per square foot, apart from additional costs. Many restaurants called the fees burdensome.
Per the Dec. 2 vote, the rental fee goes to $15 per square foot and DDOT has the ability to waive some design requirements. While lowering costs helps restaurants, residents have focused on streateries’ negative impacts on parking and neighborhood aesthetics.
A comment by “Marc” on a Georgetowner editorial and a letter from Citizens Association of Georgetown President Amy Titus reads: “Georgetown needs aesthetic control over streateries to guarantee the character of this historic neighborhood, rather than a one-size-fits-all, citywide approach by a (semi-competent) D.C. agency like the DDOT.”
Another comment mentions that Georgetown’s streets are simply not wide enough for streateries.
On the other hand, some are all for the new legislation. A third comment reads: “They really need to expand the streateries and make them permanent. Do we really want narrower sidewalks and more cars in Georgetown? I can’t understand the opposition.”
New guidelines, which DDOT will begin enforcing on Jan. 15, will attempt to establish safety rules and provide for more aesthetically pleasing structures.
As of Dec. 1, 67 restaurants, out of an original 140 or so, had applied for streatery permits, according to DDOT. Nearly 40 streateries have already been demolished.
