Job-site units for the months-long work of a soft-story earthquake retrofit, placed under California's construction rule and the city's street space permit.
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An earthquake retrofit job site needs toilets for the crew for as long as the work runs, which is often months. The count follows California's construction standard, and any unit on the curb falls under the city's street space rules. A local provider delivers, services and removes the units.
San Francisco's Mandatory Soft Story Program covers wood-frame buildings with five or more residential units and two or more stories over a soft or weak story, permitted for construction before January 1, 1978. The city's Department of Building Inspection counts at least 2,800 buildings with a soft-story condition, which keeps this kind of residential work coming back to the same kind of building.
A retrofit is different from a short remodel. The work is done on an occupied building, often with no spare yard, and the crew is on site for months. The toilets have to sit where the building is, which on many blocks means the curb or a narrow lot beside the building, and placement is usually the hardest part of the job to settle.
This page covers the California rule for job-site toilets, the street space permit that many retrofits need, the count, what moves the price and how units are serviced over a long job. It gives no price and no per-worker figure beyond the state's own ratio. The contractor confirms the count, and the provider confirms the price.
Do not place or move a unit yourself, and do not let crew members carry units through a narrow passage or gate. Keep the sidewalk path open at the width the permit requires, and keep units clear of scaffolding, open shafts and excavations. Never let anyone use a unit as a step, a shelf or a barrier.
Where the building has a rear yard or side lot the crew can reach without crossing the sidewalk, units can stand off the right of way. The route from the front often runs through the building or a narrow passage, so the provider measures it first. A unit that clears the front door does not always clear the rear gate.
Many retrofits have no usable yard, and the units end up at the curb. A unit there needs the street space permit and must sit within the area the permit covers. It should not reduce the path of travel for pedestrians, and the placard must be posted before the unit is occupied.
A larger crew needs a bank of units, and the count follows California's construction rule. The cluster is placed near the work and away from tenants' doors. A cluster on the right of way may need more than the default area, and the additional permit has its own lead time.
If it's an emergency, call now. For non-urgent earthquake retrofit project restrooms, send the form and we'll call you back.
The rule sets the count from the number of employees: one separate toilet facility for each twenty employees or fraction thereof, of each sex. Fewer than five employees may use one all-gender single-user toilet.
Under temporary field conditions at least one toilet must be available. Each single-user all-gender facility counts toward the total when its conditions are met, so the contractor should keep the crew list current as the crew changes.
The price follows the number of units, how long the job runs, how often the units are serviced and how far each unit is carried from the truck. The street space permit and its lead time add to the cost picture.
A job that runs for months costs more in total than a short one, though the monthly service rate may be steady. A unit carried through a building or down a side passage takes more time to set and service. The price is explained and approved before work starts.
The program sets the seismic requirement for the building. The toilet count for the crew comes from the California rule and the permits that apply to the placement.
The program covers wood-frame buildings of five or more residential units with a soft or weak story, permitted before January 1, 1978. The city's figure of at least 2,800 buildings describes the scale of the work, not the restroom count.
A construction closure uses a Special Traffic Permit, not a special-event permit. The contractor should ask the city which traffic permit covers any lane or space the work or units take.
Units placed inside an approved closure are part of the closure plan, and the provider places them only inside that area. A unit in a parking space rather than a lane is covered by the street space permit's parking lane default.
A unit on a job that runs for months is serviced on a steady schedule and inspected for wear. The provider repairs or replaces any failing part.
Winter rain can leave a site muddy around a unit's door, and a unit on open ground can settle or lean in soft ground. The crew keeps the path to the unit clear, and the contractor reports any fault during the job.
The contractor holds the building permit from the Department of Building Inspection, and the work area is set by that permit and the plan. A technician walks the building and frontage with the contractor to see which parts of the work reach the sidewalk. The toilets follow the work area, because the crew cannot be served from a spot the work is about to block.
If any unit or its truck stands on the public right of way, a street space permit is needed. The permit covers the parking lane and up to half the sidewalk along the fronting property by default, and it lists portable toilets among the covered uses. The contractor or property owner pulls it, and extra space needs an additional permit with a lead time of at least thirty days.
California's construction rule sets the count from the number of employees: one separate toilet facility for each twenty employees or fraction thereof, of each sex, with at least half of the required facilities being toilets. Where water closets are not feasible, chemical toilets are allowed, subject to local rules, which is how portable units fit most retrofit sites.
The crew sets each unit level on firm ground, secures it against wind and checks the door swing against the work and the walkway. Where a unit stands on the right of way, the permit's placard must be posted seventy-two hours before occupancy begins and stay up for the whole permit term.
A retrofit can run for months, so the provider services the units on a steady schedule, restocking and emptying as needed. The schedule is set with the contractor at the start and adjusted when the work changes. The provider removes the units when the job ends and hauls the waste through its own permitted route.
Soft-story retrofits are concentrated in older wood-frame housing. Victorian and Edwardian buildings with narrow lots and rear-yard access through the building are common in that stock, though no count of them is given here. The rear route is measured before the units are ordered.
The city's hills make many retrofit blocks hard to set. A steep sidewalk or stair access can leave the building several feet above the curb. Filbert Street between Hyde and Leavenworth is listed at 31.5 percent by the City Bureau of Engineering, and lists of steep streets disagree on rank, so a site should be described by its real access.
Multi-phase redevelopment sites in the city also run for long periods, and the same toilet planning applies. For work in neighboring cities, those cities set the rules, and this page states none for them.
Not sure if you're covered? Check your ZIP code.
Portable toilets kept on site for months of work, with service schedules and permit terms set to match.
Job-site toilets sized to California's Title 8 Section 1526, with portable units where water closets are not feasible.
Portable toilets on San Francisco streets and sidewalks, with the permit limits and placard rules that apply.
Scheduled cleaning, restocking and pumping for portable toilets in San Francisco, under the state and city waste rules.
California's construction rule sets the count from the number of employees, with one separate toilet facility for each twenty employees or fraction thereof, of each sex. A crew of fewer than five may use one all-gender single-user toilet. The contractor keeps the crew list current.
No. The program covers wood-frame buildings of five or more residential units with a soft or weak story, permitted before January 1, 1978. The crew's toilet count comes from the California construction rule and the permits for the placement.
Only inside the area a street space permit covers. By default that is the parking lane and up to half the sidewalk along the fronting property. Going beyond that needs an additional permit with a lead time of at least thirty days.
The placard shows the permittee's details, the permit dates and the area covered. It must be posted seventy-two hours before occupancy begins and stay up for the whole permit term. The contractor or property owner posts it.
California's accessible-unit rule applies to clusters of portable units: five percent, but no fewer than one, must comply. Where a unit serves tenants or the public, that matters more, so ask the provider how the rule applies to your setting.
The provider removes the units when the job ends and hauls the waste through its own permitted route. The street space permit's conditions apply until the units are gone. The provider holds the registrations and permits for hauling and disposal.