San Francisco has no single citywide toilets-per-guest rule that can be cited, and the figures circulating online disagree. Park and street event paperwork sets unit counts by projected attendance, with a share of the units accessible. The current number for your event comes from the agency that issues your permit.
Key takeaways
- San Francisco has no single citywide toilets-per-guest rule that can be pointed to, so a ratio from another city does not apply here.
- Park events are permitted through the Recreation and Park Department, and street closures are reviewed by ISCOTT, which the SFMTA chairs.
- Event paperwork counts units against projected attendance and sets a share of them as accessible.
- California's accessible unit minimum is five percent of the units at each cluster, and never fewer than one.
- The organizer confirms the current figures with Recreation and Park or the SFMTA for the specific permit.
- Port property needs a Port permit, and a Port-jurisdiction street needs both a Port permit and an ISCOTT permit.
Is there one San Francisco rule for toilets per guest?
Not one that can be cited. The city documents that address the question do not agree with each other, so this guide prints no ratio as a requirement.
The question is usually asked as if a single number exists. What the city does instead is set counts through event paperwork. The Recreation and Park Department describes portable toilets scaled to expected attendance, with some units meeting accessibility specifications, and the SFMTA special-event paperwork sets its own formula. Those approaches are different, and the two documents disagree on the accessible share. Neither one is a citywide ordinance that covers every event.
Because of that, the honest answer for any event is a count that comes from the permit for that event. Borrowing a ratio from another city, or from a rule of thumb passed around by rental companies, puts a number on the page that San Francisco has not adopted for your site. If you find a figure online, check which document it comes from and whether it is a city requirement at all. If it cannot be traced to a city document, leave it out of the plan.
Why do park events and street events get different answers?
A park event is permitted through the Recreation and Park Department, and a street closure goes through ISCOTT, the interdepartmental committee the SFMTA chairs. Each track has its own paperwork and its own notes on restroom counts.
Events in city parks go through the Recreation and Park Department. Events on Port property need a Port permit. Applications to close a street for a special event are reviewed by ISCOTT, the Interdepartmental Staff Committee on Traffic and Transportation, which the SFMTA chairs. The paperwork on each track is what sets the expected attendance and the units that go with it, so the track you are on determines which document you read.
The track matters because one festival can hold more than one permit. An event that uses a park and closes a street beside it will have restroom notes in two places. Read both, and do not assume one overrides the other. Ask each agency which note applies to the part of the site it governs, and write the answers down before the unit order is confirmed.
What do the event documents actually ask for?
The documents ask the organizer to plan units from the number of people expected, to include an accessible share, and to place the units with a clear route. They do not give one ratio that covers every event.
A typical event plan lists the expected attendance and then the units that match it. The accessible units are part of that count rather than an afterthought, and the plan has to show where they sit. Route and placement come into it too, because units that cannot be reached are of little use to the people the count is meant to serve.
Expected attendance is the hard part for most organizers. Estimates drawn from earlier years of the same event, from the venue and from ticket sales can all differ, and the figure given to the permitting office is the one the count will follow. Give a realistic number with the basis for it, and update the count if the expected crowd changes before the event.
Why do the figures people quote disagree?
Most quoted counts come from one event in one year, from a different city, or from vendor material. The disagreement is a reason to check the source, not a reason to pick the largest number.
The same event can be reported with very different unit counts in different years, because the crowd, the route and the layout change from year to year. A count from one year does not carry over to the next, and a count from another city's rules does not carry over at all. Reported attendance may be an expectation, an estimate or a count, and a news report may not say which one it is.
For a permit, the figure that matters is the one the organizer files with the agency. Reading a published count is useful for ideas about layout, but the number on the application has to be one the organizer can defend for the crowd they expect. If the number is challenged, the basis of the estimate is what the agency will ask about first, so keep a written record of how the number was reached.
What should an organizer ask the permitting office?
Ask for the current restroom and accessible-unit requirement for your event, in writing, tied to your expected attendance and your site. Ask which agency sets each part of the requirement.
Start with the agency that issues your permit. For a park, that is the Recreation and Park Department. For a street closure, the review runs through ISCOTT, which the SFMTA chairs, and the SFMTA's special-event paperwork sets its own figures. If the event uses both a park and a street, ask both agencies and keep the two answers side by side.
Ask three things: the required count for your expected attendance, the accessible share and how it is counted, and whether the count changes if the crowd is larger than the estimate. Get the answers in the permit conditions or in writing. A verbal answer during a site visit is not a record you can file, and it will not protect you if the count is later questioned.
How should units be laid out across the site?
Units go where people can reach them, clear of driveways and the path of travel. Banks are usually grouped at a few points rather than spread along the whole route, so each cluster has its own accessible unit.
Layout starts with the people who will use the site: the entry points, the stage or the finish line, and the places where a queue will form. A bank placed at the far end of an open field gets little use, while a bank at a crowded gate can back up quickly. Keep units clear of the path of travel and of driveways, and do not block a fire lane or an access route for emergency vehicles.
Clusters matter for the count, because the accessible minimum applies to each cluster. Two clusters of two units each need one accessible unit in each cluster, not one between them. Group the units with that in mind, and keep the accessible unit on the accessible route from the street so it is easy to reach. A layout drawn this way is also easier to explain to the permitting office.
How do you plan for a long day or a large race?
Plan for the peak hour, not the average. A long day needs more service visits, more supplies and a plan for keeping units stocked through the busiest part of the day.
The peak hour matters more than the daily total. A festival with a long afternoon can have most of its crowd in two hours, so the count has to hold up against that surge rather than the average for the whole day. Ask the provider how many visits are scheduled during the peak and whether a visit can be added on the day if the crowd is bigger than expected.
Races and parades usually stage units along the route in banks, not in one place. Bay to Breakers, for example, puts portable restrooms along its course and in the Panhandle, and a route of that length needs a plan for each bank. Each bank needs the same clear path and accessible share as any other site. Once the expected crowd and the route are settled, call (888) 351-0294 so the provider can plan the banks and the visits around the count.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a San Francisco formula for portable toilets per 100 people?
No citywide formula that can be cited was found, and the city documents that address the matter do not agree on the accessible share. Use the count from the permit for your own event. Do not borrow a formula from another city, because it will not carry San Francisco's conditions. Ask the agency for the requirement in writing.
Who sets the count for a park event?
Park events are permitted through the Recreation and Park Department. The department's permit paperwork sets unit counts by projected attendance and an accessible share, and the organizer confirms the current figures with the department before the event. If the event also closes a street, that part goes through ISCOTT separately.
Who sets the count for a street closure?
Street closures for special events are reviewed by ISCOTT, which the SFMTA chairs. The SFMTA special-event paperwork sets its own figures, so confirm the current ones with the SFMTA for your permit. Applications should be complete at least 30 days before the event, and sf.gov advises three months ahead for a new event.
What is the minimum number of accessible units?
California's rule is five percent of the units at each cluster, and never fewer than one. A cluster of two therefore needs one accessible unit. Mark the accessible units with the International Symbol of Accessibility, and keep the route to them clear from the street.
Can I use the count from last year's event?
Use it as a starting point only. Attendance, route, layout and permit conditions change between years, and the count has to match this year's expected crowd and site. Check the figure with the agency for this year's permit, and record the basis for the number you file.
Does the count include a handwash station?
The count in event paperwork is about toilet units. A handwash station is a separate item that a provider can add, and it does not replace a unit in the count. Ask the provider whether handwash stations are in the quote, and confirm any washing-facility requirements for the event separately with the permitting agency.
Sources
This guide is general information for San Francisco County homeowners, not a substitute for an on-site inspection. Prices are estimates. See our disclaimer.