Street festival plan
Units on closed streets, shown on the site map and kept off the shop doors and the main path.
Serving King County
Special Event Restroom Plan in Seattle, WA
Portable toilets for Seattle events, planned for the site map in the City's permit application and sized from the expected crowd.
- Standard units, ADA units and handwash stations
- Construction sites, festivals and private events
- Delivery, servicing and pickup scheduled around your dates
Get a fast quote
Fastest: call (888) 351-0294. Or send this and we call you back.
Event Plan
Special Event Restroom Plan: what it covers
Quick answer
Seattle's Special Events Office requires portable restrooms to be shown on the site map in the permit application, which the Special Events Committee reviews and approves. Units are kept away from business entrances and high-traffic paths. The count is set by the operator from the expected crowd, the event's length and whether food or alcohol is served, and the provider supplies the unit details for the plan.
A public event in Seattle runs through the City's Special Events Office, and the restroom units are part of the site plan the Special Events Committee reviews. The guidance is direct: the units must appear on the site map in the application, and the committee approves the plan before the event.
The guidance also says units should be kept away from business entrances and from high-traffic paths. Those two rules shape most of the placement, since the busiest path is usually the route the crowd takes to the stage, and the entrances are where shop owners will complain if a unit blocks their door.
Seattle's food-service rules add a second layer for food vendors. Restrooms for food workers must be within 200 feet of the serving location, and portable toilets count for that only when a handwashing sink with hot water, soap and paper towels stands beside them.
- Service area
- Seattle & King County
- Availability
- Call to reach a local provider
- Phone
- (888) 351-0294
Warning signs
Signs you need special event restroom plan
Keep the units off the emergency route and clear of stewards' posts. Light the clusters for evening events and check that no unit blocks an entrance, a hydrant or a gate that emergency vehicles need.
- An event application filed with no restroom units on the site map
- A street festival with a unit placed directly in front of a shop entrance
- A park gathering whose units block the main path
- A food festival where the nearest handwashing point is far from the serving line
- A concert with a crowd that has no unit inside the gates
Our process
How our special event restroom plan visit works
Map the event grounds
Mark the stages, the entrances, the main paths, the food areas and the business frontages on the site plan.
Place the units on the plan
Show each unit on the site map, away from business entrances and high-traffic paths, with its cluster and count.
Add the food handwashing
Place a handwashing sink with hot water, soap and paper towels beside any portable toilet that counts for a food worker, within 200 feet of the serving location.
Write the count and its reasons
State the headcount, the length of the event and whether food or alcohol is served, and how the count follows from them.
Submit with the application
Send the site plan with the application so the Special Events Committee can review the units with the rest of the event.
Why must the units be on the site map?
The Special Events Committee reviews the site map as part of the permit application, and the units must appear there to be approved.
A plan that leaves the units off the map invites a request for revision and delays the approval. The map is the document the committee reads, so the units belong on it with their counts.
The map should also show the emergency access, the stages and the entrances, so the committee can check the units against the rest of the event.
What does keeping units away from entrances mean in practice?
A unit is placed far enough from a business entrance that the entrance stays open, and off the path that the crowd uses to reach the stage or the exit.
The committee and the business owners both expect the entrance to stay clear. A unit beside a door is a common complaint, so the placement is set back.
A high-traffic path is the route the crowd takes most often. A unit on the path is a hazard, so the units are placed on a side route with a short walk.
How is the count set?
By the operator, from the expected headcount, the event's length and whether food or alcohol is served, with the reasoning shown in the plan.
Seattle's guidance on event restrooms does not set a count that applies to every event, so the figure is worked out for the event and recorded.
A long event with alcohol and food needs more units and more servicing than a short event without them.
What about the food areas?
Food vendors need handwashing within the required distance of the serving line, and portable toilets count only when a handwashing sink is beside them.
The sink must have hot water, soap and paper towels. The plan shows the sink's position beside the units that count for food workers.
A food area without a sink beside its nearest unit does not meet the standard, whatever the number of units elsewhere.
How is the plan revised if the event changes?
A change to the space, the count or the layout is shown on a revised site map and sent to the Special Events Office, with the reasons.
A revised map that marks the changes is quicker to review than a fresh plan. The changed units are shown in a different colour or with a note.
The event team keeps a dated record of every revision, so the file shows what was approved and what changed afterwards.
What should stewards know about the units?
Stewards know where each cluster is, which units are accessible, which sink serves each food worker, and who to call for a visit or a move.
A steward with the map can direct a visitor and report a problem at once, which is the fastest route to a fix.
The briefing takes a few minutes and is repeated for each day of a multi-day event.
Options
Types and options for special event restroom plan
Park gathering plan
Units on a park lawn or path under the Parks process, shown with the route and the firm ground.
Food event plan
Units with handwashing beside each food area, placed within the required distance of the serving line.
King County
Why special event restroom plan is different in Greater Seattle
Seattle Center's plazas and the Pride and Bumbershoot grounds are large public events, and the plan follows the Center's own layout.
Downtown events run into the office core and the waterfront, where business entrances are close and the rules on them matter most.
Capitol Hill's street festivals are close-set, and the entrance rule shapes the placement on most blocks.
Need special event restroom plan today?
Call any hour and explain what is going on. You get a clear price before any work starts.
Where we work
Special Event Restroom Plan across King County
- Event Plan in Downtown Seattle and Pioneer Square
- Event Plan in Belltown and Denny Triangle
- Event Plan in Capitol Hill
- Event Plan in South Lake Union and Queen Anne
- Event Plan in Madison Park and Montlake
- Event Plan in Ballard and Crown Hill
- Event Plan in Fremont and Wallingford
- Event Plan in University District
- Event Plan in Magnolia
- Event Plan in Lake City
- Event Plan in Ravenna and Wedgwood
- Event Plan in Georgetown and SoDo
- Event Plan in Rainier Valley
- Event Plan in Beacon Hill and Mount Baker
- Event Plan in Delridge
- Event Plan in West Seattle
- Event Plan in White Center
- Event Plan in Bellevue
- Event Plan in Mercer Island
- Event Plan in Kirkland
- Event Plan in Redmond
- Event Plan in Bothell
- Event Plan in Renton
- Event Plan in Lynnwood
- Event Plan in Edmonds
- Event Plan in Kenmore
- Event Plan in Mountlake Terrace
- Event Plan in Woodinville
- Event Plan in Sammamish
Not sure if you're covered? Check your ZIP code.
Related
Related services
Event Site Map and Committee Review
The site map for a Seattle event, with the portable restrooms drawn for the Special Events Committee's review.
ADA Accessible Portable Toilets
Accessible units for Seattle events, planned on the site map with a firm route, as the Special Events Office requires.
Food Vendor Restrooms and Handwash
Portable toilets and handwashing sinks for Seattle food vendors, placed within the City's required distance of the serving line.
Pride and Seafair Restrooms
Portable toilet clusters for Seattle's summer festivals, from the late-June Pride parade to the August Seafair weekend.
Guides
Read before you book
How many portable toilets does a Seattle event need?
No single count applies to every Seattle event.
How do you show portable toilets on a Seattle event site map?
Seattle's Special Events Office requires the portable restrooms to be shown on the site map in the permit application, and the Special Events Committee reviews and approves that map.
Does a Seattle event need an accessible portable restroom?
Where portable restrooms are required for a Seattle event, at least one must be accessible, according to the Special Events Office's restroom guidance, and more accessible units are advisable for large crowds.
How do you plan restrooms for Seattle's summer festivals?
Seattle's summer festivals are three different crowd problems.
FAQ
Special Event Restroom Plan FAQs
Where must portable restrooms be shown?
On the site map in the permit application, which the Special Events Committee reviews and approves.
How far from a business entrance must a unit stand?
The guidance says to keep units away from business entrances. The plan sets the distance so the entrance stays open.
What is the food rule?
Restrooms for food workers must be within 200 feet of the serving location, and portable toilets count only with a handwashing sink beside them.
Who reviews the plan?
The Special Events Committee, which approves the site map as part of the application.
Is there a set count?
No set count is published for every event. The operator sets the count from the crowd, the length of the event and alcohol.