Restroom planning for events on DC Parks and Recreation land, where the event brings its own portable toilets under the Parks permit.
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DC Parks and Recreation runs its own permit route for events on its property, and the Department says it does not provide portable toilets, so the event has to bring them. A local provider plans the units, the accessible units and the servicing for the park, placed on the spots the Parks permit approves. The restroom plan is part of the permit file.
The District's parks host sports, festivals, community events and private gatherings through the year, and the Department of Parks and Recreation issues the permits for events on its property. The Department's permit policies say that it does not provide equipment such as portable toilets, so the organiser must bring them. For a small park gathering or a large one, the restroom plan is part of what the permit file needs.
A park is a different kind of site from a street. Its ground is grass and gravel, its paths are narrow, and its trees and play areas limit where a unit can stand. A unit that sits on a wet lawn can sink, and a unit in a play area is not allowed. The plan is drawn from the park's own layout, and the units are set on the firm ground the permit shows.
The plan is set out with the number of units, the accessible units, the servicing schedule and the removal time. The Parks permit is the reference for the placement, and the District's special event review applies where the event is large enough to need it.
Keep the play areas, the tree roots, the emergency routes and the Parks gates clear. Check each unit for level and firmness at every visit, and do not place a unit where the ground is soft or sloped.
Check with DC Parks and Recreation which permit route applies to the park and the event, and what the Parks file needs for restrooms.
Show the paths, the lawns, the play areas, the tree roots, the entries and the parking on a plan of the park. Note the firm ground that can take a unit.
Set the units for the expected crowd and the length of the event, and place each one on the firm ground the permit approves, away from play areas and tree roots.
Attach the restroom plan with the units, the accessible units and the servicing schedule to the Parks permit file.
Place the units on the approved spots, check them for level and firmness, and schedule the servicing visits for the event day.
DC Parks and Recreation says in its permit policies that it does not provide portable toilets, so the event organiser has to bring the units and plan them in the permit file.
A park does not come with a supply of portable toilets, and the Parks permit is issued on the basis that the organiser supplies the equipment the event needs. The restroom plan is therefore a part of the event, not a service the Department provides. The organiser is responsible for the count, the placement and the servicing of the units.
This page reports the Department's statement as it is published, and the applicant should confirm the current permit policies with the Department before filing.
A park placement avoids play areas, tree roots, wet lawns and the paths that the crowd uses, and it keeps the emergency access and the entries clear.
A unit in a play area is not placed there, and the play equipment and its surfacing are kept clear. Tree roots can be damaged by a unit that is set on them, and a wet lawn lets the pad sink. The placement is on firm ground that the Parks plan shows, with a route to the unit that does not cross the lawn in wet weather.
The placement must not block an emergency access route, a Parks gate or a service entrance, and the plan shows those routes so the crew can check them on the day.
The count is set from the expected crowd at the busiest hour, the length of the event and the food and drink sales, and it is written in the Parks file. No fixed ratio is applied as a rule here.
A small picnic in a neighbourhood park may need two standard units and one accessible unit, while a large festival on a park's lawns needs a plan of its own. The count follows the crowd, not the size of the park, and it is checked against the expected attendance and the length of the day.
Where the Parks permit sets a count or a ratio, the plan follows the permit's own wording. A ratio quoted from an older policy document is not used as a rule for this site.
Accessible units are placed on a paved or firm pad with a level route from the parking or the path, and they are marked on the Parks plan.
A park's grass and gravel are hard for a wheelchair, and an accessible unit needs a route that the wheelchair can cross. The provider places the accessible units on a paved or firm pad, with the route from the parking or the path kept level. The Parks plan marks each accessible unit so the park's staff can find it on the day.
The District's special event accessibility rule for units applies where the event is large enough for the special event review, and the plan shows how the share is met.
The Parks permit covers the placement on Parks land. Where the event also uses a public street or sidewalk, the DDOT public space permit applies to those spaces, and the large events go through the District's special event review.
The restroom plan is the same across the permits. A unit placed on the Parks land is shown on the Parks plan, and a unit placed on the public street is shown on the DDOT site plan. Where the event is a large one, the District's special event review looks at the whole file, including the restroom plan.
The permit route for a park event is checked with the Department before the file is started, since the route depends on the size and the use of the event.
The servicing visits are timed for the event day and the peak hours, and the units are checked for level and firmness at each visit, with a note of any change to the ground.
A park lawn that is wet from the morning can soften by the afternoon, and a unit that was level at the start of the day can tilt. The provider checks each unit for level, the door and the lock at each servicing visit, and notes any change so the placement can be corrected before the next peak.
After the event, the units are collected from the Parks land once the last visit is done, and the ground is left as the permit requires.
Set on a firm, level part of the lawn, away from the tree roots and the play area, with a route that stays clear in wet weather.
Placed at the edge of a park path, with the path kept clear and the unit off the sightline of the play area.
Set on a paved or firm pad with a level route from the parking or the path, marked on the Parks plan.
Parks events bring their own units, since the Department does not provide portable toilets.
A park's play areas and tree roots are off limits for a unit, and the placement is shown on the Parks plan.
The Parks permit route is checked with the Department before a park event is filed, because the route depends on the size and the use.
If it's an emergency, call now. For non-urgent dpr park event restrooms, send the form and we'll call you back.
Not sure if you're covered? Check your ZIP code.
Restroom planning for a District special event, filed with the Mayor's Special Events Task Group before the public space and park permits.
The District public space permit for portable toilets on the curb, the sidewalk or a closed street, filed through TOPS at least 30 days before the event.
Restroom planning for events on the National Mall, along the waterfront and at the edge of Capitol Hill, placed on the approved walkways and crowd routes.
Accessible portable toilets with wider doors, grab rails and level access, placed to meet the District special event accessibility rule.
A District event that needs restrooms goes first to the Mayor's Special Events Task Group for conditional approval, run by the Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency.
No. The Department says in its permit policies that it does not provide equipment such as portable toilets, so the event brings them.
On firm ground that the Parks permit approves, away from play areas, tree roots and wet lawns, and clear of the emergency routes.
Yes. They are placed on a paved or firm pad with a level route from the parking or the path, and marked on the Parks plan.
The Parks permit covers the placement on Parks land. Any unit on a public street or sidewalk needs the DDOT public space permit.
The count is set from the expected crowd, the length of the event and the food and drink sales, and written in the Parks file.