How Arlington, Alexandria, Montgomery County and Prince George's County each set their own event and public space rules for portable toilets.
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Arlington County, the City of Alexandria, Montgomery County and Prince George's County each set their own event, street and public space rules, so a portable toilet across the line needs the permit that applies in that place. A local provider checks the jurisdiction for each spot before the booking. Where no rule is sourced for a county, the plan says so and asks the organiser to confirm with the county.
The District's service area runs into Virginia and Maryland, and the towns across the line are separate jurisdictions. Arlington is a county, Alexandria is an independent city, and Montgomery and Prince George's are Maryland counties with cities and towns inside them that set their own rules. A unit placed in Arlington, Alexandria, Bethesda, Silver Spring, Hyattsville or Bowie is governed by that place's rules, not by the District's.
Each jurisdiction's event and street rules are different, and a permit that is needed in one place may not be needed in another. Arlington's special event permit is run by its Fire Marshal for fire-code purposes, Montgomery County's Department of Permitting Services requires a special event permit for events that affect public streets and sidewalks, and the other places have their own routes. The plan states which applies for each spot.
This page does not set out a portable toilet rule for any county or city that has not been sourced. Where a rule was not found, the organiser is asked to confirm it with the local office before the unit is booked.
The unit is placed only where the jurisdiction's permit shows it, and it is kept clear of fire routes, hydrants, travel lanes and the walkway. The crew checks the spot against the local rule on the day.
Identify the county or city for the spot, not only the nearest town name. Bethesda, Chevy Chase, Silver Spring and Takoma Park are in Montgomery County, and Hyattsville, College Park and the others are in Prince George's County.
Check the event and street permit route with that jurisdiction, including any fire-code or municipal permit that applies to the spot.
Show the unit on the event or site plan that goes with the permit, with its location and dimensions, as the jurisdiction requires.
Where the jurisdiction's rule for portable toilets is not published, confirm it with the local office in writing before the booking.
Book the unit once the permit route is clear, and deliver to the spot approved in the file.
Arlington's Office of the Fire Marshal runs special event fire-code permits for events affected by the Virginia Statewide Fire Prevention Code or the Arlington County Fire Prevention Code. The county's page does not mention portable toilets.
The fire-code permit is about the event's fire safety, and the plan for it may include the layout of the site. A unit placed where it would block a fire route or a hydrant is a matter for the fire code, and the spot is shown on the plan. The county's page does not set a portable toilet rule, so the organiser confirms the restroom arrangements with the county.
Arlington's Rosslyn and Ballston corridor is a dense construction area, and a unit on a construction lot follows the county's own construction and public space rules, which the provider checks for the spot.
No portable toilet rule was found for the City of Alexandria. The city is an independent city with its own permits, and the spot is checked with the city before the booking.
Alexandria's Old Town and its waterfront draw large events, and its streets are narrow and historic. A unit on a public street or the waterfront needs the city's permit route for that space, and the plan states the route. Because no sourced rule was found for portable toilets, the organiser is asked to confirm the requirement with the city before the unit is booked.
Where a city permit is needed for a street closure or a public space, the unit is shown on the permit's site plan.
The county's Department of Permitting Services requires a special event permit for events that generate or invite public participation or spectators and affect public streets, sidewalks or nearby properties.
Bethesda, Silver Spring, Takoma Park and Chevy Chase, Maryland all sit in Montgomery County, and an event in those places that affects public space needs the county's special event permit. Other county permits may also apply. No county rule on portable toilets was found, so the organiser confirms the restroom arrangements with the Department before the unit is booked.
Takoma Park is a city with its own municipal permits, and an event there follows the city's route as well as the county's where both apply.
No Prince George's County rule for portable toilets was found. The towns and cities inside the county have their own municipal permits, and the spot is checked with the town or city before the booking.
Hyattsville, College Park, Riverdale Park, Greenbelt, Bowie and Brentwood each have their own municipal government, and the county government covers the rest of the county, including Upper Marlboro, the county seat. The provider confirms the place and its permit route before booking. The organiser asks the town or county office to confirm the portable toilet requirement, since no sourced rule was found.
Lanham is an unincorporated community in the county, and its events go through the county's own routes.
Each jurisdiction sets its own rules for its own streets, parks and events. The District's permits and the MSETG review do not apply to a unit placed in a Virginia or Maryland jurisdiction.
The District's special event review and its public space rules cover the District only. A unit in Arlington or in Montgomery County is governed by the rules of that county or city. The provider checks the spot against the right jurisdiction, and it does not carry a District permit across the line as if it applied.
A route that crosses the line needs both sets of rules for the parts of the route in each place.
A unit for an event in Arlington, with the Fire Marshal's special event permit checked for the fire-code requirements and the spot shown on the plan.
A unit for an event in Old Town or on the waterfront, with the city's permit route and any closure for the streets checked.
A unit on a public street or sidewalk in a Montgomery County town, with the county's special event permit checked where the event affects public space.
Arlington's Rosslyn-Ballston corridor is a dense construction area with the county's own construction and public space rules.
Old Town Alexandria and its waterfront have historic streets and their own city permit route.
Silver Spring and Takoma Park are in Montgomery County, and the county's special event permit applies to events that affect public space.
Call any hour and explain what is going on. You get a clear price before any work starts.
Not sure if you're covered? Check your ZIP code.
Delivery, placement and pickup for portable toilets across the District and the nearby towns, with the truck route planned around streets, bridges and the placement.
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.
The DC Water waste hauler permit, the vehicle permit and the Blue Plains septage facility that take portable toilet waste in the District.
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.
In the District, portable toilet waste is taken by a hauler that holds a DC Water waste hauler permit, and each vehicle that goes to the Blue Plains septage facility must hold its own vehicle permit.
No. Arlington and Alexandria set their own rules, and the spot is checked with the county or city before the booking.
The county requires a special event permit for events that affect public streets, sidewalks or nearby properties. No county rule on portable toilets was found, so the organiser confirms with the Department of Permitting Services.
No county rule on portable toilets was found. The towns and cities inside the county have their own permits, and the organiser confirms with each office.
The Arlington County Office of the Fire Marshal runs special event fire-code permits for events affected by the state or county fire code.
No ratio was found for these jurisdictions, and none is published here. The count is set from the expected crowd and shown in the permit file.