After a rough year for the hospitality industry, Dartmouth restaurants are getting a break on fees for temporary outdoor seating.

At a March 8 meeting, the Select Board voted to waive the $25 license fee for any town restaurants that wish to take advantage of the emergency arrangement.

In 2020, the Baker-Polito Administration allowed temporary outdoor dining to be set up in areas like sidewalks and parking lots to help hard-hit restaurants serve more patrons safely during the pandemic.

According to Town Administrator Shawn MacInnes, only a handful of restaurants in town set up outdoor dining areas last year.

MacInnes also told the Select Board that there has been some confusion statewide over whether the governor’s order allowing the temporary seating has expired.

“The actual wording of the order says that it expires 60 days after the state of emergency ends — which means it continues for this year, because the state of emergency is still in place,” he explained.

Restaurant owners can now apply for or renew their temporary outdoor seating licenses online, MacInnes noted.

He added that any establishment wanting to make the outdoor dining space permanent must go through a formal process with the building department to ensure compliance with regulations, including setback and safety requirements.

With temperatures due to rise to above 60 degrees this week, Select Board Vice Chair Shawn McDonald noted, more restaurants will be looking to open up their outdoor spaces.

“60 degrees in March is a lot different than 60 degrees in December,” he observed with a laugh.

Select Board Chair Frank Gracie III said that permanent arrangements are “beneficial” for establishments, because “then they don't have to wait for somebody to tell them it’s okay — they can just open based on the weather.”

The board voted unanimously to waive the fees, and also selected board member John Haran as this year’s licensing authority.