A Butte business owner is speaking out over a permit fee she considers to be an excessive burden on small businesses.

Carrie Fisher owns the Taco Del Sol and Pita Pit on the corner of Park and Montana Streets, and she says the city-county wants her to pay $700 annually for a permit to have a few chairs and tables on the sidewalk outside her business.

The local government cited an ordinance that was recently revised during the pandemic. Its title pertains to parklets and pedlets, both of which go all the way to the curb or even into the street.

Fisher says it is still important for sidewalk seating to go through a permitting process to ensure, for example, that ADA accessibility is maintained, but she says a $700 annual fee is unreasonable.

She created a petition requesting the Council of Commissioners look over the issue and find a commonsense solution. It’s already been signed by dozens of residents.

“I’ve received so much support from other business owners, because I contacted everybody that had tables and chairs and made them aware of what was going on. So they want to make sure that this gets corrected. Because this is a citywide ordinance, it’s not just an Uptown Butte ordinance,” said Fisher.

Fisher says other towns in the state charge anywhere from $20 to $50 for a sidewalk seating permit.

We’ll continue following this story and will keep you updated.