Two City permits can apply to a portable restroom at an outdoor event in Albuquerque. A Park Use Permit covers portable restrooms in a City park, with the units on dirt or concrete and two weeks' notice. A Special Event Permit covers outdoor events that affect three or more City departments, with 30 days' notice. This guide explains how each works, what the site plan must show and who files.
Key takeaways
- A Park Use Permit covers portable restrooms in a City park, and the units must sit on dirt or concrete.
- The Park Management Division asks for two weeks' notice for the park permit.
- A Special Event Permit applies to outdoor events that impact three or more City departments, with 30 days' notice.
- The site plan showing where the units sit is part of the application, and an application without one can be delayed or denied.
- The applicant files the permit; the rental company prepares the placement and the count.
- The City does not provide restrooms for private events, so a private party arranges its own units.
What is the Park Use Permit for?
It is the permit needed for portable restrooms placed in a City park. It is a park special condition, and the units must sit on dirt or concrete under the park's conditions.
Any unit placed in a City park for an event falls under the Park Use rules, not only the large events. A small family gathering in a park needs the permit just as a festival does, and the placement is checked before the unit is booked.
The Park Management Division administers the park conditions and asks for two weeks' notice. Confirm the current rules with the Division before filing, because the conditions can change.
Keep the notice dates in the calendar with the event, and ask the Division to confirm the date it receives the file. A file received on the last day of the window is still inside it, but a file that goes in late is not.
What is the Special Event Permit for?
It covers outdoor events that impact three or more City departments. The City's special events pages say the permit is required for that group, and that applications need 30 days' notice.
Late filings are not guaranteed, so the 30-day notice is the date to plan around. Questions about whether an event falls in the group go to the City's Special Events team, which handles the application.
An event can need both permits: the Special Event Permit for the event as a whole, and the Park Use Permit for the units in a park. The two share one site plan, so the plan is drawn once and checked against both.
What must the site plan show?
Each unit with its spot, the surface under it, the route to it and the accessible unit's route. A plan without those is the most common reason an application is delayed.
Draw the plan to scale if you can, with each unit numbered. Mark the accessible unit clearly, and show the parking, the entrances and any hazard such as a drop-off or a water feature.
Keep a copy of the approved plan. The technician checks the placement against the plan on the delivery day, and any spot that does not match the plan is corrected before the unit is left.
- Each unit numbered and its surface named
- The route from the event area to every unit
- The accessible unit and its route
- Parking, entrances and hazards
Who files the application?
The applicant, usually the event's organizer or the person running the event. The rental company does not file for the applicant, but it helps prepare the site plan and confirms the placement.
The rental is booked against the approved plan, not the other way round. A rental booked before the permit is approved is a risk to the date, and the rental company will ask for the approved plan before it sends the truck.
The City's special events team and the Park Management Division can each answer questions about their part of the application.
What does the City's restroom suggestion say?
The Cultural Services rental application asks how many portable toilets and hand-wash stations the applicant plans, and suggests one toilet per 200 people, including ADA units. That is a question on the form, not a code rule.
Attribute the suggestion to the form if you use it at all. The sources reviewed do not show the City stating it as a general rule, so present it as the form's question.
Put the count on the application with the site plan, so the reviewer sees the same numbers in both places.
What happens if the event changes after filing?
A larger crowd, a new stage or an extra day can change the count and the permit. Tell the City before the change, not after the event.
Ask the Special Events team how a change is handled. Some changes can be added to the plan; others need a new filing with its own notice period.
A count larger than the filed number needs the City's approval before the extra units arrive, so the change is never made on the day alone.
What if the park surface changes before the event?
The placement is checked again. A surface that was dirt or concrete at filing can change after rain, grading or a recent event, and a unit can only sit on a spot that still meets the condition.
The technician walks the approved spots on the delivery day and compares them with the site plan. A spot that has become grass, gravel or a slope is not used, and the change is taken back to the applicant before a unit is placed.
A change to the approved spot needs a change to the site plan. The applicant asks the Park Management Division how the change is handled, and the placement waits until the answer is clear.
How do you handle a schedule conflict with another event in the same park?
Confirm the other event's dates and its own permit with the Park Management Division before filing. Two events on one park can share the space only if the City has approved both.
A park used by two events in the same week needs its units and routes planned around both events. The units for one event must not block the route for the other, and the site plan shows both sets of routes.
Ask the Division about the other event's permit before you file. A schedule conflict found after filing can hold up both events, so the check is part of the planning.
What information does the applicant need before filing?
The event name, the date and hours, the expected people, the park and the exact area, the site plan, the restroom count and the contact for the event day. Each item is checked before the file goes in.
A file that arrives with a missing contact or an unclear area is returned, and the time lost can move the event past the notice period. A quick check of the list before filing prevents that.
The contact on the day should answer the phone. Reviewers call the contact when a question comes up, and a missed call can hold the file for days.
Can a permit be transferred to another organizer?
That depends on the City's rules for the permit. Ask the Special Events team or the Park Management Division before transferring, and get the answer in writing.
A change of organizer can change the contact, the insurance and the responsibility for the units. The City confirms what it needs before the change is made, and the rental company is told of the change before the next visit.
Do not assume a permit moves with the event. A transfer that is not approved leaves the event without a valid permit on the day.
What happens if the City asks for a change to the site plan?
The applicant makes the change with the City's direction, and the rental company updates the placement to match the revised plan. A unit placed before the change is approved is moved.
A revised plan is sent to the same office that reviewed the first one, and the change is noted with its date. The rental company does not place a unit on a spot the revised plan does not show.
Keep both versions of the plan with the permit, so the history of the change is clear to any later reviewer or inspector.
What does the applicant owe after the event?
The units are picked up, the field is returned to the condition the permit sets and the event's records are kept. The applicant is responsible for the closing conditions, and the rental company supplies the pickup record.
The pickup record shows the date, the units taken and their condition. The applicant keeps that record with the permit, because a later question from the City is easier to answer with it on file.
Any damage to the turf or the paths is recorded and reported. The applicant decides how the damage is repaired with the City, and the rental company's record supports that decision.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a permit for a single unit in a City park?
Yes. Portable restrooms in a City park are a park special condition and need a Park Use Permit. Confirm the requirement with the Park Management Division before booking.
How much notice does each permit need?
The Park Use Permit asks for two weeks' notice. The Special Event Permit asks for 30 days' notice, according to the City's special events pages.
Who pays the permit fee?
The applicant. This site does not publish a permit fee, because the City sets it and the sources reviewed do not give a current figure.
Does a private party in a park need a permit?
If portable restrooms are placed in a City park, the Park Use Permit applies. The City does not provide restrooms for private events, so the party arranges its own units under the permit.
Who do I ask about the permit?
The Park Management Division for the park conditions, and the Special Events team for the event permit. Ask both before you book.
How early should I ask about the rules?
As early as you can, because the placement, the count and the notice all depend on the answers. Ask before you pick the date.
Do the permits need to be kept on site?
Keep a copy of the permit and the approved plan on site, so the contact and any City inspector can see them on the day.
Sources
This guide is general information for Bernalillo County homeowners, not a substitute for an on-site inspection. Prices are estimates. See our disclaimer.