How Many Portable Toilets Does an Albuquerque Event Need?

What does the City's form actually ask?

It asks how many portable toilets and hand-wash stations the applicant plans to provide. The form suggests one toilet per 200 people, including ADA accessible toilets, as a way to answer that question.

The suggestion is part of the form's wording, and it is an honest starting point for a planner. It does not say what the City will accept in every case, and the permit office can ask for more detail than the form asks for.

Quote the form's suggestion as the form's suggestion if you use it at all. Do not present it as a general rule for every event in the city, because the sources reviewed do not show the City stating it that way.

Why is the peak more important than the total?

Because a count set from the total guests over the whole day can fail at the peak. An event that spreads its guests across six hours needs fewer units per hour than one that packs them into two.

Find the expected peak hour from the organiser, and count the units needed for it. A total for the day can look enough while the peak runs out of units for an hour, and that hour is the one the crowd remembers.

A unit that is used by a crowd fills faster than the same unit used by a family. The count allows for that by adding units or visits at the peak, not only by counting heads.

How do you set the count from the people and the hours?

Start from the expected attendance by hour, the share of people likely to use the units and the time each use takes. Add the units at the peak and check the count against the servicing you can plan.

The share of people who use the units is set by the organiser, not guessed by the planner. A food-heavy event, a long day in the sun and a crowd with children all push the share up, and the count should reflect that.

Then check the count against the servicing. A large count with no servicing plan will fill by mid-afternoon. A smaller count with a servicing visit at the peak can serve the same crowd.

Where does the accessible unit fit in the count?

Inside the total, not on top of it. The accessible unit is planned from the start, placed on a firm route near the entrance or the main path, and confirmed with the permit office.

The City's form includes ADA units in the same suggestion, so an accessible unit is counted as one of the toilets, not as an extra. The share of accessible units for an event is set with the permit office, because the sources reviewed do not give a binding share for Albuquerque.

Federal guidance used for other cities is not carried over to Albuquerque without a local source. An accessible unit is placed where a wheelchair user can reach it, and the sign points to it.

• Confirm the accessible share with the permit office in writing
• Place the accessible unit on a firm, level route from the entrance
• Sign the route at the entrance and at each junction
• Check the door, the grab bars and the floor space at delivery

What about hand-wash stations?

The same form asks for hand-wash stations, so they belong in the same plan. A station goes beside the toilet cluster's exit and beside any food area.

Hand-wash stations need water, soap and a waste container, and they are serviced on a schedule like the units. The count of stations follows the food on site and the toilet count.

Put the station count on the application with the toilet count. A reviewer who sees both numbers can judge the plan in one read.

How is the count written up for the permit?

As a plan with the numbers, the placement and the servicing in one place. The reviewer should be able to read the count, the peak, the accessible share and the servicing without a phone call.

Attach a site plan that shows each unit, its surface, the accessible route and the hand-wash stations. Keep a copy of the count and the plan with the application.

If the count changes after filing, tell the Special Events team before the change. A larger count may need a revised application, and the extra units should not arrive until the change is approved.

How does the count change for a long-running event?

A long-running event, such as a season of weekend concerts, needs a count for each day and a servicing schedule that keeps the units usable across the season. The count is not the same on every day.

Each day of a season has its own peak. A Saturday with a headline act needs more units than a Tuesday rehearsal, and the count reflects that. The schedule is set for the peak days first and then for the quieter ones.

A season plan is reviewed at the midpoint, because the attendance can change as the season goes on. A change is raised with the City before the event, not added on the day.

How is the count set for a construction site?

From the crew size on each shift, the number of shifts and the length of the job. Construction is not counted like an event, because the crew is the same people each day.

A crew of twelve on one shift needs a count set for twelve people using the units through the day. A crew that splits into two shifts needs a count for each shift, and the units are serviced between them.

The construction count is reviewed as the crew changes size. The sources reviewed do not give a construction permit total for Albuquerque, so the plan starts from the crew on site.

What is the difference between a count and a plan?

A count is the number of units. A plan is the count plus where each unit sits, the surface under it, the route to it, the servicing visits and the accessible route. The permit office reads the plan, not only the count.

A count with no placement or servicing does not show the reviewer that the event has thought about the crowd. A plan shows the thinking, and the reviewer can ask about the parts that look weak.

Keep the count and the plan together, and send both to the permit office and the rental company. Mismatched copies are a common source of questions.

Where can a count go wrong after it is set?

At the peak, when the crowd is larger than planned, when a unit is placed on the wrong spot, when the servicing visit is missed or when the accessible route is blocked by equipment.

Each of those is caught by a check in the plan: a peak count, a placement check on the day, a posted schedule and a sign on the accessible route. The checks are written on the plan, so the contact knows what to look for.

A count that goes wrong on the day is fixed with a call-in visit or an extra unit, if the route and the stock allow it. A count that is checked before the day rarely needs that fix.

What does the permit office look for in the count?

A count that matches the expected use, a plan that shows where the units are, an accessible share that is stated, and a servicing schedule that covers the peak. The office reads those four things first.

A count with a clear basis is easier to approve. The basis is the expected people, the peak hour and the share who use the units, and each one is written next to the number.

The office can ask for a larger count if the basis looks light. A count that is explained with the peak and the use usually needs fewer questions than one that is only a number.

How is the count checked against the crowd on the day?

With a simple walk of the clusters at the opening, a check of the units' fill level at the peak and a note of any cluster that is running low. The check is short, and it tells the contact whether a visit is needed early.

The contact walks the clusters at the opening and notes the state of each unit. A unit that is already half full before the crowd arrives is a sign the count or the schedule needs a change.

At the peak, the contact checks each cluster again. A cluster that is full or close to full calls for a visit at once, and the call is logged with the time.