Champaign, IL Special Events & Permits: Outdoor Heater Rules (2026)

Section 30-544 of the sidewalk cafe article treats heaters as plaza-only equipment. Subsection (k) lists portable heaters among the furniture permitted 'in a sidewalk cafe that is located in a plaza area,' alongside tables, chairs, non-advertising umbrellas, portable bars, fencing and a sandwich board sign; plaza equipment may be bolted down or otherwise secured since it isn't required to be cleared nightly. By contrast, subsection (i)'s list for ordinary sidewalk cafes and subsection (j)'s list for sidewalk retail areas both omit heaters entirely, so a cafe operating on a regular sidewalk outside a designated Plaza Area has no basis to place one.

Section 30-540(5) names the seven Plaza Areas where heaters can be used: the northeast corner of East Chester and North Walnut; East Taylor between Neil and Walnut; the south side of Park Avenue between Randolph and State (excluding the 35 feet nearest Randolph); the area bounded by Neil, Main and Washington Streets and the building wall; the first 132 feet of the alley between Church Street and Park Avenue; the northeast corner of Neil and Chester extending along the 110-112 North Neil Street building face; and North Market Street between East Chester and East Main.

Subsection (m) then adds a separate safety gate: the placement of portable heaters must be reviewed and approved by the City's Fire Inspector before the permittee puts one in service, regardless of which Plaza Area is involved.