Nearly two dozen Knoxville restaurants now have city permits allowing dogs in their outdoor serving areas.
The city issued its first permit, to The French Market in downtown Knoxville, in late January.
The Dogs on Patios permit is the result of legislation passed last year authorizing the state’s larger cities to allow restaurants to let pet dogs in their outdoor dining areas – if a city opted in and established a permit process.
Knoxville City Council chose to opt in and allows the city’s restaurants with patios and outdoor dining areas to decide if they wanted to participate.
More than half of the establishments that have obtained permits are located on Market Square or Gay Street in downtown but other parts of the city are represented as well. There are restaurants on the Cumberland Avenue Strip, the Old City, on North Central Street in Downtown North and on Kingston Pike that allow pet dogs in their outdoor seating areas.