Portable restrooms for street fairs and parades on closed San Francisco streets, planned around city approvals.
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A street fair or parade in San Francisco runs on a closed street approved through the interdepartmental traffic committee chaired by the SFMTA. The restroom plan follows the approved route and the projected attendance, with accessible units placed on an accessible route from the street.
Street fairs and parades are among the most common reasons a portable restroom is needed in San Francisco. Carnaval in the Mission, the Folsom Street Fair in SoMa, the Chinese New Year Parade downtown, the Pride parade on Market Street and the neighborhood fairs on Union Street, in the Fillmore and in North Beach all run on closed streets. Each one needs a restroom plan that matches the closure, the crowd and the route, and each one depends on approvals that come before any unit is placed.
The approval comes first. 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. Once the closure is approved, the restroom plan can be sized and sited. A unit that arrives before the closure is settled has nowhere lawful to stand, so the crew waits for the approval rather than working ahead of it. The closure permit guide explains the timing in more detail.
The restroom count for a fair is set from the paperwork, not from a guess. The city's permit paperwork sets unit counts by projected attendance and a share of accessible units, and the organizer confirms the current figures with the Recreation and Park Department or the SFMTA for the permit. This page does not state a ratio of toilets to people, because the city sources that were checked give conflicting figures and no single citywide ratio was found.
ISCOTT, the Interdepartmental Staff Committee on Traffic and Transportation, reviews applications to close a street for a special event. The SFMTA chairs the committee.
A street closure for a special event goes through ISCOTT, which meets twice a month. Hearings are publicly noticed, and the applicant may have to post notices of the event along the route. Once the committee approves the closure, the permit is typically sent by email about two weeks after the hearing. The restroom plan waits for that approval, because the units cannot be sited until the closed street is confirmed.
A complete application is due at least 30 days before the event. The city's own guidance advises applying at least three months ahead for a new event and six months for a large one.
The minimum for a complete application is 30 days before the event, but that is the floor, not the plan. A new event and a large event both need more lead time, and the city's guidance is to apply three months ahead for a new event and six months ahead for a large one. The restroom plan is built from the approved closure, so a late application pushes the restroom plan back as well.
The unit counts come from the permit paperwork, which sets them by projected attendance and a share of accessible units. The organizer confirms the current figures with the agency that issues the permit.
Parks and street events in San Francisco are both covered by permit paperwork that ties the number of portable toilets to the expected crowd. The paperwork also sets the share of units that must be accessible. The organizer should not rely on figures from an older event or from a different city, because the city's current figures are the ones the permit uses.
The city's accessible public event checklist asks that event maps mark accessible features, including accessible restrooms and the route to them from the street.
A unit with the International Symbol of Accessibility is only useful if a person can reach it. The route from the street has to be clear of curbs, steps, cable runs and parked equipment, and the unit has to sit on a level surface. The event map is where the route is shown, so the crew checks the map against the site before the units are placed.
The quote depends on the number of units and clusters, the length of the event, the number of service visits and the access along the route. The provider confirms the price before delivery.
A larger crowd needs more units and more clusters, and a longer event needs more service visits. A route that is long or spread across several blocks adds delivery and placement time, because each cluster is sited and serviced separately. Accessible units and a clear route add to the planning, and a handwashing station adds to the supply list.
A homeowner or organizer should not place portable restrooms on a closed street, a parade route or a sidewalk without the closure approval and the permit in hand. Keep the route clear for emergency access and for the people walking the event, and keep the accessible units on a clear route. Do not let children play around a unit or a service truck. Report a damaged unit or a shortage of supplies to the provider at once rather than leaving it for the next service.
The crew waits for the event's street closure to be approved before it sites any unit. ISCOTT reviews the application, and the approval sets the route and the hours.
The organizer provides the projected attendance, and the permit paperwork sets the unit counts from that figure and from the share of accessible units. The organizer confirms the current figures with the Recreation and Park Department or the SFMTA for the permit.
Units are grouped in clusters at the edge of the crowd flow, not in the middle of the route. Each cluster sits on a clear, level surface with room for the truck to service it.
Each cluster includes accessible units, and California's building code sets five percent of the units at each cluster as the share, with no fewer than one. The accessible units are marked with the International Symbol of Accessibility and sited on an accessible route from the street, so a person using a wheelchair or walker can reach them without a curb or step in the way.
The crew services the clusters through the event, with extra visits planned for the busiest hours and the end of the event. Units are restocked and cleaned on the route, and the truck is given a clear lane at the end of the closure.
A street fair on a closed residential or commercial block, such as the fairs on Union Street and in North Beach, usually needs a small cluster on each end of the closure. The units are sited away from the entrances to homes and shops, and the crew keeps the path open for residents and deliveries.
A parade needs units placed along the route at points the crowd can reach without leaving the viewing areas. The units are sited clear of the parade line, usually on side streets or at the ends of the closed route.
A festival such as Carnaval in the Mission, which runs as a two-day street festival and parade, needs larger clusters and more service visits. The crew sites units across the festival area, with accessible units in each cluster and handwashing close to the food vendors.
A fair that runs in one season, such as the Folsom Street Fair in late September in SoMa or a jazz festival in the Fillmore in July, needs the same approvals as any other closure. The plan is built for the season, with attention to the weather on the day, because a wet or windy day changes how the clusters are staked and serviced.
If it's an emergency, call now. For non-urgent street fair and parade restrooms, send the form and we'll call you back.
Downtown San Francisco hosts some of the largest event closures, including the Chinese New Year Parade in February, which is a parade rather than a fair but needs the same approval and restroom planning. A downtown event is planned around the other closures on the same streets, so the crew checks the calendar before siting units.
The Mission, SoMa, the Fillmore and North Beach each run their own fairs on closed streets, and each neighborhood has its own pattern of traffic, parking and deliveries. Restrooms are sited around the businesses and homes on the block, and the crew keeps the entrances and the service access clear.
Weather changes the plan for a street fair. Summer fog on the west side of the city and in the mornings can slow the set-up, and a wet or windy day can make units harder to stake. The Folsom Street Fair runs in late September, and the crew plans the stakes, the bracing and the service times around the weather of the day.
Portable restrooms for multi-day festivals and concerts in San Francisco parks and on waterfront sites.
Portable restrooms staged in banks along San Francisco road races and marathon courses, from start to finish.
A couple of units for a closed residential block, sited clear of driveways, with the street closure timed through the city's ISCOTT process.
Portable toilets on San Francisco streets and sidewalks, with the permit limits and placard rules that apply.
Not sure if you're covered? Check your ZIP code.
San Francisco has no single citywide toilets-per-guest rule that can be cited, and the figures circulating online disagree.
In San Francisco, a street closed for a special event is reviewed by ISCOTT, the interdepartmental committee the SFMTA chairs.
ISCOTT, the Interdepartmental Staff Committee on Traffic and Transportation, reviews street closures for special events, and the SFMTA chairs it. The committee meets twice a month, and its hearings are publicly noticed. The restroom plan waits for the approved closure before any unit is placed.
A complete application is due at least 30 days before the event. The city's guidance advises three months for a new event and six months for a large one. Filing the closure early also gives the restroom plan the lead time it needs.
The count comes from the permit paperwork, which sets it from the projected attendance and the share of accessible units. The organizer confirms the current figures with the Recreation and Park Department or the SFMTA. No single citywide toilets-per-person rule was found, so no ratio is given here.
Yes. California's building code requires five percent of the units at each cluster to be accessible, with no fewer than one per cluster. The accessible units carry the International Symbol of Accessibility and sit on an accessible route from the street.
The units go at the edge of the route, usually on side streets or at the ends of the closed section, clear of the parade line and the crowd flow. The start and finish are the busiest points, so they get the largest clusters. Each cluster needs a clear, level surface and room for the truck.
No. Events in city parks go through the Recreation and Park Department, and events on Port property need a Port permit. A park event may still need the street approval if a street is closed. The organizer confirms which permits apply before the restroom plan is set.