The City of Knoxville issued its first permit this week for a restaurant seeking to let customers bring their pet dogs into its outdoor seating area.

The French Market, a restaurant on Gay Street, received the initial permit under the new ordinance passed by City Council in December. Its owners, Allen and Susan Tate, applied for and received the permit on Monday, January 25.

The Dogs on Patios permit is the result of legislation passed last year authorizing the state's larger cities, including Knoxville, to allow restaurants to let pet dogs in their outdoor dining areas if the city established a permitting process.

Restaurants that choose to participate are required to abide by certain conditions including that pets can't be present within the interior of a restaurant or where food is prepared and must be on a leash and under the owner's control at all times.

City Council chose to opt in to the new law and allow the city's restaurants with patios and outdoor dining areas to decide if they wanted to participate.

For more information about obtaining a permit or to see the rules governing establishments that decide to allow dogs in their outdoor seating areas please access www.cityofknoxville.org/downloads/ and look under the "Dogs on Patios Permit App." 
 
To date the French Market has been the only applicant.