How many portable toilets does a Boston event need?

Why is there no single number for Boston?

Boston's published material on events sets out the permit and the emergency plan but does not give a units-per-person figure. The count is therefore a judgment for each event, worked out from its own facts.

Events differ widely. A street fair with food and beer, a Fenway game-day approach and a short morning walk are three different problems, and a single ratio would be wrong for at least two of them.

Because no figure is published for Boston, this page does not give one, and a page that did would be repeating a number it cannot attribute to a City rule. The count is reached by reasoning and then checked against the file.

That reasoning should be written into the plan, with the headcount, the hours, the food and the alcohol, so a reviewer can see the logic behind the figure.

What inputs set the count?

Four things set the count in practice: the expected peak headcount, the hours of the event, whether food is served, and whether alcohol is served. The table below shows how each one moves the figure.

The peak headcount matters more than the total attendance. A crowd of two thousand over a full day does not all arrive at once, and the count is set for the busiest hour, with servicing set to keep up with the rest of the day.

Hours matter because use accumulates. A four-hour event and a twelve-hour event with the same peak need different servicing, and the longer one usually needs more units to keep them clean between visits.

Alcohol and food both raise use. An event that serves them should expect more visits to the units and a higher count than the same crowd without them.

How should units be split across the grounds?

Split the count into clusters that match the flow of the crowd, with one cluster at each main stop, rather than one block at the entrance. Each cluster is then checked for its accessible share.

A cluster at the gate is easy to plan but leaves the far end of the grounds without a unit close by. A stage, a food area and a gate each draw people, so each gets a cluster sized for the people who stop there.

The accessible share is counted within each cluster under 521 CMR 30.1.2, which sets at least 5% of clustered units, and never fewer than one, as accessible. A cluster of six units therefore carries one accessible unit.

The map should show each cluster, its count and the accessible unit, so the reviewer and the stewards can find the nearest unit from any point on the grounds.

• One cluster at each main gate
• One cluster beside each stage or viewing area
• One cluster at each food area, with a handwash station
• An accessible unit inside every cluster group, as the rule requires
• Extra units at the far end of long grounds

How does the count change for a long or hot day?

A long or hot day needs more frequent servicing and sometimes a few extra units. Adding units alone does not fix a schedule that is too slow, so the servicing plan is set with the count.

Summer heat speeds up the rate at which units fill and the rate at which they become unpleasant. The plan should set extra visits for the hottest part of the day, and the provider should be told the expected temperature and hours.

A long event with an evening peak needs the units lit and checked before dark. The servicing visit before the evening crowd is the one most often missed, so it should be written into the schedule.

Spare units held back for a surge are a reasonable choice for a large event, and the spare count is part of the plan that the permit reviewer sees.

What goes in the permit file?

The file should show the count, its reasoning, the cluster map, the accessible units, the servicing plan and, for events of 1,500 capacity or more, the emergency plan that the Office of Emergency Management needs.

The permit route depends on the space the event uses. The Mayor's Office of Consumer Affairs and Licensing issues the special-event permit for outdoor public events, and a park, a road or a street closure has its own office for its own part of the event.

Timing matters. The published guidance is at least 30 days before a large event and 20 days before a smaller one, and those figures should be confirmed with the City before the plan is final.

The provider supplies the unit details, the placement sketch and the servicing schedule. The organizer files the whole plan with the City office that asks for it.

How do you plan for a crowd that is hard to predict?

Plan for a range rather than a single number, set the count for the upper end of the range at the busiest cluster, and agree a fast way to add units during the event.

Past attendance, the venue's own capacity and the time of year are the best starting points. Where none of those is known, the organizer should say so in the plan and show how the count would change.

A standby arrangement with the provider, with a call-out for extra units or an extra visit, is a practical answer to an uncertain crowd. The arrangement is written into the plan.

What if the event is held in more than one space?

Each space is counted on its own, with its own cluster and its own accessible unit, and the total is the sum of the spaces. The permit for each space is checked against its own route.

A festival that uses a park and a closed street has two counts and two permit routes. The plan should show both and keep them distinct.

A crowd that moves between the spaces should be planned for the walk between them, so no cluster is left without a nearby alternative.

How is the count checked after the event?

After the event the organizer compares the servicing log with the count that was planned. Where the units were overwhelmed, the reasons are recorded so the next plan starts from evidence rather than memory.

The check looks at the times units were full, the visits that were late, and the spots that drew the most use. A cluster that ran short is the clearest lesson for the next count.

A short written note is kept with the event file. It helps the next organizer and it answers questions from the City if the event is held again.