END OF HEATED TERRACES. The law on the prohibition of heated terraces came into force on Friday April 1, 2022 throughout France. A difficult measure for Parisian restaurateurs.
[Mis à jour le 1er avril 2022 à 18h38] The ban on heated terraces, a measure resulting from the Climate Law, became effective on April 1, 2022 throughout the France, after a one-year postponement. No more warm dinners, well seated on the terrace of a Parisian restaurant in the middle of winter… Faced with the application of this ban, restaurateurs and bar owners fear a loss of turnover. But a heated terrace for one day is still equivalent to driving 350 kilometers by car…
When the law was voted, the Secretary of State for Ecological Transition Emmanuel Wargon had specified that “half a million tonnes of CO2” would no longer be emitted each year. A significant ecological measure… Some restaurateurs plan to adapt next winter to limit the loss of customers, especially in Paris where the terraces of cafes and restaurants abound. The boss of the Lutetia brewery in Paris has already announced to RFI that she will be releasing the “plaids” and “the “blankets” for “the months of December 2022 and January 2023”.
When will the heated terraces end?
Since Friday April 1, 2022, no more electric heaters, heating parasols or braziers are authorized outside bars, cafes and restaurants throughout France according to a decree published in the Official Journal. The measure has been postponed many times due to the Covid-19 crisis but had already come into force in certain cities in France such as the city of Rennes since 2020.
The measure prohibiting heated terraces is provided for in the “climate and resilience” law, adopted on August 22, 2021 and carried by the Minister for Ecological Transition Barbara Pompili. From June 30, 2022, restaurateurs will be penalized by a fine if they do not remove their outdoor heaters.