Executive chairman Richard Scudamore told Sky Sports the decision meant visiting supporters would no longer be "stuck up in the third tier, out in the corner."
The exact location will depend on the layout of each ground and Scudamore said the move would help improve the atmosphere at stadiums in England's top division.
"Pitchside is the easiest way of describing it but clearly some ground configurations mean there might be some gap between where the seats actually are, and there might be something else in between that and the pitch," he said.
"It's about atmosphere. One of the unique things about our game, particularly in England, is the amount of away fans and the noise they create.
"When an away goal is scored, you want that atmosphere and interaction between the two sets of fans."
Football Supporters' Federation chief executive Kevin Miles told the Premier League's official website that he backed the move.
"We've lobbied the Premier League for a number of seasons to move more away fans pitchside and we're very pleased they have chosen to do that from 2017," Miles said.
"Placing away fans up in the gods may appear to give home teams a competitive advantage, but often in reality this kills the atmosphere for everyone on matchday.
"This is why we've been lobbying for such a rule to be introduced. We're pleased to see this step taken."
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