BLOOMINGTON - Smokers will be able to continue lighting up in 20 Bloomington bars and restaurants until work on outdoor patios is completed or until July 1, which ever comes first.

Bloomington Planning and Code Enforcement Director Mark Huber said 24 businesses submitted construction plans for outdoor areas by the deadline Thursday. Of those, 20 were approved.

That's about half the number of establishments receiving temporary exemptions from Bloomington's smoking ban at the end of last year. The indoor public place smoking ban went into effect in Bloomington and Normal on Jan. 1.

In November, the Bloomington City Council approved an amendment to the smoking ordinance allowing all liquor-license holders in the city to apply for an exemption from the ban if they intended to build new or alter existing beer gardens.

To qualify for the exemption, owners had to apply by Dec. 29 and submit building plans to Huber's office by Thursday. If the plans were approved, the smoking ban extension would be effective until the outdoor area is completed or until July 1 - whichever comes first.

The smoking ban now must be implemented in the other 19 establishments that either did not turn in building plans or were rejected.

Huber said the four businesses whose plans were rejected generally are nonconforming uses in residential areas. City code doesn't allow physical expansions of nonconforming uses. Huber would not release the names of those businesses.

Sixteen of those approved will add outdoor spaces to their businesses, he said. The rest are making alterations to existing outdoor spaces.

Elroy's in downtown Bloomington is making its existing beer garden bigger, for instance. Diggers, another downtown bar, is creating a new outdoor space.

Schooners, 810 E. Grove St., wants to make alterations that will extend the outdoor patio season, Huber said.

According to the city's guidelines, an area is considered an outdoor space if it doesn't have a roof or if it has a roof but at least 50 percent of the perimeter walls are open, Huber said.

The 16 establishments planning to build new outdoor spaces also will need to ask the Bloomington Liquor Commission for an "extension of premises" permit if they want to serve liquor outside, City Clerk Tracy Covert said.

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Smoking exemption list

A&P Tap, 721 W. Chestnut St.

Bonker's Place, 1507 S. Main St.

The Caboose, 608 W. Seminary St.

Cheeks Bar and Grill, 1206 Towanda Ave.

CII East Lounge, 102 S. East St.

Clarion Hotel restaurant, 1219 Holiday Lane

Coconut Louie's, 2303 E. Washington St.

Coppertop Lounge, 1107 W. Locust St.

Diggers, 230 E. Front St.

Elroy's, 102 W. Washington St.

Jim's Steak House, 2307 E. Washington St.

Mugsy's Pub, 1310 N. Main St.

Pub I, 505 W. Market St.

Schooners, 810 E. Grove St.

Shooter's Lounge, 503 N. Prospect Road.

Sport Bait and Lounge, 304 N. Morris Ave.

Tree House Lounge, 2060 Ireland Grove Road.

Windjammer Lounge, 2303 Stern Drive.

Winners Lounge, 801 S. Main St.

Yankee Doodle, 1407 Morrissey Drive.