Palatine requires permits, inspections for tents and temporary structures

Councilors stressed that any temporary structure used for outdoor dining must meet life-safety codes and be permitted and inspected before use.

"There's fire code issues. There's life safety issues to ensure that they're secured properly," a council member said, underlining the safety rationale for permitting tents. Staff said they would expedite inspections where possible but warned many tent applications may not be approved in time for a one-weekend deployment.

The council emphasized open-sided tents are acceptable in principle but side flaps that turn a tent into an indoor space conflict with the governor's guidance, which permits outdoor dining only. Staff will include tent permitting requirements in the toolkit and advise businesses on anchoring, barricades, and inspection timelines.