PortaPottyFinder

Porta Potty Rental by Job

The unit you want depends on the job rather than the other way round. Pick what you are planning and get the count, the unit types, where to put them and what to ask before you call anybody.

Every job, and what it works out at

The numbers below are worked from the same two sources every page here uses: ANSI/PSAI Z4.3 for events, 29 CFR 1926.51(c) for job sites. They are examples rather than your answer — put your own numbers in and the calculator does the rest.

JobWorked exampleUnitsUsually wants
Wedding 150 guests, 6 hours 5 Trailer
Construction site 50 workers 2 Standard
Festival 2,000 guests, 8 hours 60 Standard
Corporate event 250 guests, 6 hours 6 Flushing
Disaster relief 150 workers 4 Standard
Farm and rural 25 workers 1 Standard
Sporting event 1,000 guests, 4 hours 20 Standard
Private party 75 guests, 5 hours 3 Standard

The two rules everything here comes from

ANSI/PSAI Z4.3 is the portable sanitation industry's own standard, and it is what event planners are working to whether they know the number or not. One unit per 50 people for a four-hour event, rising as the event runs longer, plus 15 to 20% once drinks are served because people go more often.

29 CFR 1926.51(c)(1) is federal law on a construction site rather than advice. One toilet for 20 workers or fewer; one toilet seat and one urinal per 40 workers up to 200; one per 50 above that. It counts everyone on site, subcontractors included, and it is a floor. Walking time is usually what justifies going above it, because a crew crossing a large plot twice a day costs more in labor than the second unit costs to rent.

What the job changes besides the count

Two jobs with the same headcount can want completely different orders. A wedding and a festival both put hundreds of people on a field, and one wants a restroom trailer with running water while the other wants standard units in volume with servicing partway through. The difference is how long people stay, what they are wearing, and whether anybody can get a truck in while the site is full.

Which units these jobs draw on

Coverage is measured from each operator's own website, so it is what you can realistically get rather than what a catalog says exists.

Porta potty against restroom trailer, if the choice between them is the open question.

Find companies near you

Independently owned operators, ranked on reviews and what they actually rent. Free to use, and nobody can buy their way up the list.

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Common questions

How many porta potties do I need?
For an event, one unit per 50 guests over four hours is the working figure from ANSI/PSAI Z4.3, with 15 to 20% added where alcohol is served and more for a longer event. For a job site it is set by law: 29 CFR 1926.51(c)(1) requires one toilet up to 20 workers, then one seat and one urinal per 40, and per 50 above 200. Each page below works its own job through.
Which standard applies to my job?
If people are being paid to be there, the OSHA construction rule usually applies and it is a legal minimum rather than guidance. If they are guests, the ANSI/PSAI ratio applies and it is a comfort target, so exceeding it is a choice about queues rather than compliance.
How many units should be accessible?
At least one, on any event open to the public, and roughly one in twenty as the count grows. On a site with several banks of units, put an accessible unit at each of them rather than all of them in one place.
Does the type of unit change the count?
Not the arithmetic, but it changes what the count buys. A restroom trailer with three stalls counts as three, and the queue moves faster because handwashing happens inside rather than at a separate station.