Accessible portable restrooms for events and job sites in Austin, with unit counts, placement and the sidewalk rules that govern them.
Fastest: call (888) 351-0294. Or send this and we call you back.
An ADA accessible portable restroom has more floor space, a wider door and grab bars, and it sits on a firm level pad with a clear route to it. As city event guidance states the ADA standard, at least one unit, or 5 percent, in each cluster must be accessible, and Austin's guidance recommends 5 to 10 percent.
Most portable restroom rentals are one unit on a pad, built for a standing adult with a narrow door and a step up. An accessible unit changes three things. The floor is larger so a wheelchair can turn, the door is wider, and there is usually a grab bar beside the seat. The unit is only half of the job. The rest is where it sits, how the ground is prepared and whether a person in a wheelchair can reach the door without crossing soft ground or a curb.
Accessible units follow the permit rather than a guess. City event guidance works to about one toilet per 50 people at peak, and it states the ADA floor for accessible units. The parks department's form, for events over 250 attendees, asks for two toilets per 500 attendees with at least one ADA unit. The two are not the same, so the permitting office confirms which applies before the count is fixed. Call (888) 351-0294 with the date, the expected crowd and the placement you can offer. For event work, see ADA accessible restrooms for Austin events.
Do not level a unit with loose blocks or shim it on soft ground, and do not move a unit once it has been set and filled. A unit on an unleveled pad can tip, and its door can drift out of line with the route. Keep cones, cords and stored items off the accessible route, and report a cracked pad or a washed-out route to the technician rather than patching it with site material.
Ask the permitting office which ratio governs your event before settling the number of units. City guidance and the parks form use different figures, and the permit file is the record that counts. Write down the answer and its reference so it can be shown later.
A technician checks the slope, the surface and where a truck can stop. A firm level pad is the target. Soft grass or gravel that shifts under a wheel is not an accessible surface, even when the unit itself is correct.
The route from the parking or drop point to the accessible unit must be continuous and clear of cords, cones and stored items. Where units stand on a sidewalk, the city's guidance asks for five feet of continuous, undisturbed pedestrian and ADA access along the whole route.
The crew sets each unit, levels it and checks that the door swings clear. Accessible units are placed as a group with the standard units, so a person is not sent to a distant corner. The level is checked again after the first hour, because a pad can settle under the first visitors.
The unit is serviced on the agreed schedule, and the route and pad are checked after rain or heavy use. A rutted or blocked route is reported to the technician as soon as it is noticed. Hot afternoons need extra attention, because a unit in direct sun is hotter inside than a shaded one.
The count depends on the ratio the permit uses, the size of each cluster and the peak attendance. The ADA floor, as city guidance states it, is one unit or 5 percent per cluster, and Austin recommends 5 to 10 percent above that.
Start with the number the permit uses. Austin's special-event guidance works to about one toilet per 50 people at peak, and the parks form uses a different base for larger events and asks for at least one ADA unit. Get the answer in writing, because the file will be checked against one of them.
With only a few units in a cluster, one accessible unit can meet the floor but leave no spare when a unit is taken out for cleaning. Where the crowd is heavy near one entrance, put more accessible units there.
As close as the route allows to the main path, on the firmest ground on the site, with no step between the route and the entry.
A level pad, a surface a wheel can roll across and a clear turning space at the door are what a technician checks first. Rutted gravel, cut grass and dirt softened by rain are the most common reasons a unit ends up somewhere it cannot be used.
Put the accessible unit on the same route as the others, and mark it on the site plan so a visitor can find it. For a mass gathering outside city limits, the county permit asks for each toilet's location and type on that plan.
It has more floor space, a wider door and a grab bar beside the seat, and it is usually set with a flat entry rather than a step. The differences are mechanical, and they matter most to the person using the unit.
A standard unit is built for a narrow room. An accessible unit gives a wheelchair room to turn and a door wide enough to pass through alone. Dimensions differ between models, so ask which unit is being brought and what its door width and floor dimensions are before the placement is drawn.
A step at the entry is the most common barrier on a site that otherwise looks ready. Ask whether the unit has a ramp or a level threshold before the booking is confirmed.
Unit type, the number of accessible units the permit requires, the distance from the truck to the placement, how often the unit is serviced and whether a truck can reach the spot. The price is explained and approved before work starts.
In Austin the price moves most with access. A site a truck can reach at the gate costs less to serve than one that needs a long carry across a lawn. Event length matters too, since a three-day festival takes servicing that a single afternoon does not, and summer heat adds visits.
The provider confirms the price for your site before delivery, and you approve it before anything is set. Because access is the largest factor, the placement questions come first on the call.
Only with the city's right-of-way rules in mind. A unit on a sidewalk must leave five feet of continuous, undisturbed pedestrian access, and a sidewalk closure needs notice to 311.
The city's special-event guidance asks for five feet of continuous, undisturbed ADA and pedestrian access where items are placed on sidewalks. On a crowded downtown block that width is often the first thing a reviewer checks. A closure of a sidewalk, bike lane or alley needs notice to 311 at least three days before, and some city pages say three business days, so the current rule is confirmed before the date is set.
Most sidewalk placements belong to an event that already holds a right-of-way permit from the Transportation and Public Works Office of Special Events. The approved permit and traffic-control plan stay on site.
Used at festivals, races, fairs and private events where the crowd is large and the lawn is uneven. The accessible units are spread across the site near the main stages and food areas, so a visitor does not cross the whole field. Shade and a clear path keep the route usable through the long afternoons that Austin summer events run into.
Used on construction sites where a worker may need an accessible unit. The federal construction table sets how many facilities a site needs, and the accessible unit is planned within that count. The route has to be checked again whenever the grading or fencing moves, because a route that was clear last month can be blocked by the next phase.
Used for a wedding, a family reunion or a renovation where a guest or resident has mobility needs. The question is almost always the approach: a graded driveway, gravel that shifts, or a side yard reached by a step. A technician can often find a placement that works with a short run of level surface. The approach is walked in person, because photos rarely show the slope.
Austin's heat shapes the accessible route more than anything else. An accessible unit in direct sun with no shade heats up inside before guests arrive. Shade is useful, but it has to be weighed against roots and fallen limbs on the route and the wet ground that follows a storm.
Clay soil in parts of Austin swells when wet and cracks when dry, so a pad that was level in spring can be out of level by late summer. Check the pad before each service visit and again after heavy rain. A level base on clay is the difference between a unit that stays usable all week and one that tilts by Thursday.
Zilker Park, the Capitol complex and the Travis County Expo Center each host events where the permit sets the count and the lawn or plaza sets the route. Ask a technician to walk the placement with the site plan before the count is fixed. A placement that works for every visitor is the harder part of the work.
Tell us what's happening and we'll tell you honestly whether it's a quick fix, and what ada accessible portable restrooms should cost.
Not sure if you're covered? Check your ZIP code.
Climate-controlled restroom trailers with sinks and running water for venues along Bee Caves Road, Loop 360 and the county edge.
Handwashing stations with running water, placed beside each toilet location and planned against the state rule for mass gatherings.
Standing portable toilets for construction and subdivision work that runs for months, on a servicing schedule set for the build.
Portable restrooms for downtown street festivals and parades, planned around the right-of-way permit, pedestrian access and the peak crowd.
City of Austin event guidance works to about one toilet per 50 people at expected peak attendance and recommends 5 to 10 percent of units be ADA-accessible.
Austin's event guidance recommends 5 to 10 percent of portable toilets be ADA-accessible, and it states the federal requirement as at least one, or 5 percent, in each cluster.
Whether a permit applies depends on the jurisdiction and the size of the event, so ask the permitting office. If a guest uses a wheelchair, an accessible unit and a level route are worth planning for even at a small gathering. The route is the part most likely to fail, because a short grassy slope can stop a wheelchair as effectively as a step.
Ask the technician for the door width, the floor dimensions and whether the unit has a grab bar and a level entry. Walk the route yourself the day before the event with a wheelchair or a stroller, and note any step, slope or soft spot so the crew can fix it before guests arrive.
Soft ground is the most common reason an accessible placement fails. A technician can build a firm base with a pad, boards or compacted material, depending on the site and how long the unit stays. Describe the ground when you call, and expect it to be checked again after rain.
It can. A three-day event has the same peak number as a one-day event, but the servicing changes and the route has to hold up under foot traffic for longer. The permit sets the count from the peak, and the servicing plan keeps the units clean across the days.
The provider confirms the price for your site before delivery, and the price is explained to you and approved before any work starts. Access, unit type, the number of units, the event length and the servicing schedule are what move it. No figure appears on this page.
The permit timeline sets much of the lead time. Austin Center for Events sorts applications into four tiers, and Tier 3 and Tier 4 applications are due 120 and 180 calendar days before the first event day. Spring festival season moves some of those deadlines, so check the dates for your year.