Coming soon to a Denver restaurant patio near you: dog-friendly and Fido-free zones.

New rules approved by city health regulators this month will make Denver the first city in Colorado to allow dogs on restaurant and bar patios with servers if they meet certain requirements.

The old rules permitted dog-friendly patios only for some places, mostly cafes, as long as they didn’t offer table service outside.

Though a restaurant industry spokesman says there are reasons for owners to pause before allowing paws on their patios — including potential liability from dog bites — Denver Environmental Health Department officials expect many to take advantage. It will be up to the restaurant’s owner.

Any food service establishment with a patio of 400 square feet or larger qualifies. Dogs must enter from the street or sidewalk, and at least half the space must be reserved for customers who may prefer not to dine so up close and personal with others’ dogs. A few other rules will apply, including keeping dogs a safe distance from food/drink-handling areas and wait stations.

An early adopter is Jake’s Food & Spirits in River North, where a manager says a new dog-friendly policy has attracted new customers.

About a month ago, the restaurant fenced off a portion of its patio, enclosing 10 tables seating 25 to 30 people. Customers must place orders and retrieve them from the bar. That cautious policy is more in line with old rules than the new ones, which allow table service in dog zones.

“It’s been really popular,” said Helen Sierminski, Jake’s assistant general manager. “There’s definitely days where almost every seat is taken out there.”

Dogs have gotten into barking contests a few times, she said, but none have escalated into the kind of fights that could pose a liability concern.

Danica Lee, the food safety section manager for the health department, said the new rules were drawn up in response to requests from Jake’s and other restaurants as officials weighed revisions to a host of regulations.

Until now, few have gone to the lengths that Jake’s has to allow dogs, though a few Denver bars have carved out a niche by offering canine play areas.

Denver is the only city in Colorado that maintains its own health code. Restaurants elsewhere follow state health rules, which don’t allow dogs on patios.

The appeal makes sense for some restaurants, said Peter Meersman, president and CEO of the Colorado Restaurant Association. After all, “we’re in the business of pleasing our customers.”

But he said he would hesitate to urge a restaurant owner to create a dog-friendly patio zone.

There’s the potential liability, but also more ways to violate health codes during inspections — say, if a server is seen petting a dog. That still won’t be allowed. And restaurants will have to keep the patio clean of any dog waste.

“My advice to someone would be: Don’t do that,” Meersman said.

Lee said the health department’s limited survey of 35 food facilities with patios found that 75 percent were large enough to qualify for dog-friendly service.

Denver’s Board of Environmental Health approved the dog rules about two weeks ago. They take effect July 1, but the city is allowing restaurants to adapt to them now.

Jon Murray: 303-954-1405, jmurray@denverpost.com or twitter.com/JonMurray