How Many Porta Potties Do You Need? Calculator and Chart
Enter your guest count, hours, alcohol and food, and get a toilet and hand-washing station count with every step of the math shown.
How many porta potties do you need for your guest count?
You need 1 porta potty for every 50 guests at a 4-hour event, rounded up. A 100-guest party needs 2, a 150-guest party needs 3, and a 300-guest event needs 6. Add 1 toilet for every 4 when alcohol is served or the event runs past 6 hours, and add hand-washing stations for food.
Calculator assumptions: 1 toilet per 50 guests; +1 per 4 toilets for alcohol; +1 per 4 toilets for events over 6 hours; 1 hand-washing station per 3 toilets when food is served; for public events, 5% accessible units with a minimum of 1 (California Building Code §11B-213.2).
How do alcohol, event length and food change the count?
Alcohol, event length and food each raise the count in whole-unit steps. If the base is 4 toilets and alcohol is served, add 1 to make 5. If the event also runs 8 hours, add 1 more to make 6. If food is served, add 2 hand-washing stations, one for every 3 toilets.
| Guests | Base (4 hrs) | + Alcohol | + Alcohol & 8 hrs | Hand-wash stations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 100 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 1 |
| 150 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 1 |
| 200 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 2 |
| 300 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 2 |
| 500 | 10 | 13 | 16 | 4 |
How many porta potties does a construction crew need?
A California construction crew needs at least 1 toilet for every 20 workers of each sex under Cal/OSHA Title 8 §1526. Under 5 workers, one all-gender toilet is enough. A crew of 18 men and 3 women needs 2 toilets. Federal OSHA allows fewer, but California's stricter rule applies on California sites.
See the full California job-site toilet rules and construction porta potty rentals.
How many accessible units and hand-washing stations do you need?
Public events in California need at least 1 wheelchair-accessible unit per cluster, or 5 percent of the cluster when that is higher. Events with food need 1 two-sink hand-washing station for every 3 toilets. Farm crews need 1 handwashing facility per 20 workers under Cal/OSHA §3457.
Read the rules at access-board.gov and Cal/OSHA §3457. Compare accessible units and hand-washing stations.
Sizing questions
Is 1 porta potty enough for 50 people?
One porta potty is enough for 50 guests at a 4-hour event without alcohol. Add a second unit when alcohol is served, the event runs past 6 hours, or many guests are children.
How many porta potties for 200 guests at a wedding?
A 200-guest wedding with a bar needs 5 toilets, or a 4-stall restroom trailer plus 1 unit. Add 2 hand-washing stations if the trailer does not have sinks for every guest.
Should I round up or down?
Always round up. A line of 10 people at one unit lasts far longer than the cost of one more unit.
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