Portable toilet placement for rowhouse frontage, rear alleys and narrow side gaps, planned on the lot before the truck is booked.
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Rowhouse and alley placement is the work of finding where a portable toilet can stand level, clear of the front door and the route for the truck, on a lot with little frontage and a shared alley. In Washington, the spot is worked out from a plan of the lot and checked on the ground. A local provider handles the delivery and the placement, and the permit is checked for any public space the unit touches.
Georgetown, Shaw, Capitol Hill, Dupont Circle and Columbia Heights are built on rowhouse blocks, with narrow fronts on the street and long, shared alleys behind. A portable toilet on one of those lots is a small placement problem, and it is usually solved by measuring the lot rather than by guessing. The side gap is measured for the unit's width and the door swing, the alley for the truck and the gate, and the curb for the permit and the hydrant.
Some of the District's oldest streets are in Georgetown, where the lots are small and the frontage is narrow, and the truck has to stop on a street that carries traffic. In Shaw and Logan Circle, the infill lots are narrow and deep, with the unit often standing a long way from the house. Each neighbourhood gives a different answer, and the placement is written for the lot in front of the planner, not for the average block.
The plan records the spot, the route, the gate and the permit status. Any change to the spot during the job is written down so that the crew, the neighbours and the provider know where the unit is.
Keep the gate and the alley clear for emergency access and for the neighbours. Do not place a unit where it blocks a hydrant or a fire exit, and check the pad after heavy rain.
Take the width and depth of the side gap or the rear space, the height of any step, and the width of the gate. The unit needs room for its door to open and for a person to stand beside it.
Check where the truck can stop, how it reaches the alley or the curb, and whether it can turn. A narrow alley may need a smaller vehicle or a different stopping point.
Note any hydrant, tree box, meter or bus stop on the frontage, and keep the unit clear of each. A unit at the curb needs the public space permit before delivery.
Send the owner or the site lead a marked photo of the chosen spot, and confirm the route and the day. A change of spot after delivery is agreed with the site lead in writing before the unit is moved.
The provider sets the unit on a level pad, anchors it if the ground needs it, and checks the door, the vent and the lock before leaving the lot.
A rowhouse lot has little room for error. A unit that is one foot out of line can block a gate, a hydrant or a front door, and the plan avoids that before the truck arrives.
The plan is short. It is a sketch of the frontage and the alley with the spot marked, a note of the gate width and the route, and a photo of the chosen place. It takes a few minutes to make from a phone, and it saves a return trip or a moved unit on the day. On a block where the neighbours share the alley, the plan also shows the other households that the unit is there.
A plan also helps the permit. A unit at the curb is shown on the public space application, and the plan is what the site drawing is based on.
The gap must take the unit's width, the door swing and a person standing beside the unit. The exact clearance depends on the unit and the lot, and it is checked on site.
A standard unit needs enough room for its door to open outward and for the user to pass it without squeezing against a wall. In many District side gaps the room is tight, and the placement may be better in the rear alley or at the curb. The gap is also a path for the crew, so its width matters for the people who walk through it every day.
Where the gap is too narrow, the provider will suggest the alley or the curb and will not force the unit into a space that cannot take it.
The truck needs a route into the alley and room to stop, and the gate must be wide enough for the unit to be carried through. Where the alley is too narrow, the unit is placed at the front.
An alley in Dupont Circle or Capitol Hill is often a few metres wide, with garages, bins and parked cars along one side. The truck can often stop at the mouth of the alley and the unit can be rolled in on a dolly, but this needs a gate that opens fully and a clear route. A gate that is locked or blocked by a bin needs to be checked before the booking.
The provider checks the route on the day. Where it cannot be made, the unit is placed at the nearest workable spot and the change is agreed with the owner or the site lead before it is set down.
The unit is set out so that neighbours can reach their own doors, gates and bins, and any part of the unit on public space is covered by the permit for that space.
A rowhouse unit affects the neighbours even when it is on the owner's lot. Their access to a shared alley, their bin collection and their parking can all be changed by a unit on the wrong spot. The plan notes the neighbours' access, and the site lead is asked to tell them when the unit is coming.
A unit that stands on the public curb or sidewalk needs the District's public space permit, and it has to be shown on the site plan with its dimensions. The permit is filed through the District Department of Transportation's online system, and it is a separate step from the event or construction permit.
Wet springs soften the ground in alleys and side gaps, and summer heat means the unit needs more frequent cleaning. The pad, the anchoring and the servicing interval are checked for each season.
A pad set on firm ground in March can sink or tilt after a wet April. The servicing visit checks the level, and a unit that has moved is reset before the door starts to bind. In summer the unit fills faster in hot weather, and the servicing interval is shortened to match. Neither change is a fixed date, and both are checked at each visit.
Set in the narrow gap between the house and the neighbour's wall, with the door swing measured and the gap kept clear for access.
Placed in a rear alley space or a small yard, on the owner's consent, with the truck route and the gate width checked.
Set at the curb in front of the rowhouse under the permit, with the hydrant, the tree box and the walkway kept clear.
Georgetown's rowhouse lots are small, and the truck often stops on a busy street, so the route is planned before the booking.
Shaw and Logan Circle have deep infill lots, and the unit may stand far from the house, which needs a clear path for the crew.
Capitol Hill's tree boxes and hydrants leave few curb spaces, so the curb unit is checked against both.
Tell us what's happening and we'll tell you honestly whether it's a quick fix, and what rowhouse and alley placement should cost.
Not sure if you're covered? Check your ZIP code.
Portable toilets for District construction crews on infill lots, rowhouse renovations and mixed-use builds, planned around frontage, alleys and the crew.
Single-user portable toilets for construction, renovation and gatherings across the District, placed where rowhouse frontage and alleys allow.
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.
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.
On a District rowhouse lot a construction toilet usually goes in a side gap, a rear yard or an alley space on the owner's consent, or at the curb under the DDOT public space permit for that frontage.
Sometimes. The gap has to take the unit's width, the door swing and a person beside the unit. The provider measures the gap before the booking.
It depends on the width of the alley, the gate and the place to stop. The route is checked before the booking, and the unit is set at the nearest workable spot if the alley is too narrow.
Yes. A unit on the public curb or sidewalk needs the District public space permit for that frontage.
The provider sets the unit at the nearest workable spot and agrees the change with the owner or the site lead before it is placed.
Send a photo with the spot marked, the gate width and the route. The provider confirms the spot in writing before the delivery day.