The City's park event form asks for one portable restroom for every 125 expected attendees where the park has no restrooms. That figure belongs to the form and to that case only, and it is not a general Portland or Oregon rule.
Key takeaways
- The 1-per-125 figure is the City of Portland park permit form's requirement for a park without restrooms, and for that case only.
- The form's wording on accessible units governs. This page does not print a percentage, because the live form must be read at filing.
- Units are delivered on the day of the event and collected no later than the following morning.
- The figure is a floor for the form's own case. The rest of the plan is built from the crowd, the length of the event and the site.
- Private events, parks with restrooms, parks run by other cities and sites across the river are outside the form.
- A plan is easier to review when the expected attendance, the count, the access and the dates are each written down.
What the figure is written to do
The form sets the requirement in plain terms: where a park has no restrooms, one portable restroom is required for every 125 expected attendees. It answers a permit question about a City park event.
The figure answers one question: how many units a City park event must provide at a stated attendance, when the park has no restrooms of its own. It is the form's own figure, and a reviewer reads it against the expected attendance on the application.
It does not answer a different question. It is not a rule for a private event, not a rule for a park that already has restrooms, and not a general Portland or Oregon standard. A caller who reads it as a rule for every event will order the wrong count, in one direction or the other.
Use the form's number as the floor for the park count where the form governs, and build the rest of the plan around the expected crowd, the length of the event and the access to the site.
Delivery and collection under the form
The form asks that units be delivered on the day of the event and collected no later than the following morning. Those two dates shape the whole order.
Delivery on the event day means the crew needs a clear access route that morning, a level spot and a placement the park's staff can approve before the crowd arrives. A delivery that lands late in the day leaves the first hours of use uncovered.
Collection by the following morning sets the end of the job. A multi-day event with units in place across several days needs the form's terms checked for each day, because the collection requirement is written around the event, not around the first day alone.
Write both dates on the order, with the park name, the gate or path, and the name of the person on site who signs for the placement.
How a plan is checked against the form
A plan is checked in four passes: the expected attendance, the restroom status of the park, the count, and the accessible units and dates. Each pass is written down so a reviewer can follow it.
The first pass sets the expected attendance. Use the highest expected number present at one time, because the form counts the people on site together, not the total for the day. Write down the basis for the number, whether that is ticket sales, the application or the organiser's estimate.
The second pass checks whether the park has restrooms. The count rule applies only where it does not. A park with restrooms may still need extra units for a large event, but that is a separate decision and should be written as one.
The third pass applies the count. The expected attendance divided by 125, with the form's own rounding applied, gives the count for a park with no restrooms. Confirm the rounding on the form before using the result.
The fourth pass checks the accessible units and the delivery and collection dates against the form's text on the day the plan is filed.
Where the form does not reach
The form covers City of Portland park events. It does not cover a private venue, a stationary event on a street, a park run by another city, or a site across the Columbia.
A park in Gresham, Beaverton or any other city is governed by that city's own offices, not by this form. Ask the office that runs the park, and do not assume the City of Portland figure applies there.
A private event on private ground is also outside the form. The count there is set by the plan and by whatever the owner or the local office requires, and no City form supplies a ratio for it.
A stationary event in the street space is not in the City's street programme either. Those questions belong to the street permit guide, and the restroom count for them is still a planning figure rather than a form figure.
Questions to settle with the park office
Four questions settle most of what the form leaves open: the restroom status, the accessible terms, the delivery day, the collection time and the placement spot. Put them to the office in writing.
Ask whether the park has restrooms open to the public during the event, and whether the office expects them to be used. The answer decides whether the count rule applies in full.
Ask the office to confirm the accessible terms on the current form, and to state the placement it expects for an accessible unit on that park's ground.
Ask for the delivery time and the collection time as the office reads them, and the name of the person who will sign for the placement on the day.
Ask whether the spot needs a base or a board on the ground the park has, and whether the office has any conditions on surface protection.
Keep the answers with the order, so that the crew and the event lead work from the same terms.
What to decide before you call the park office
Three decisions shape the park conversation: the expected attendance and its basis, the park's restroom status, and the access the truck will have. The form is easier to apply once those three are settled and written down.
Settle the expected attendance and the basis for it. The form's count is applied to expected attendees, so a figure that cannot be explained will be questioned. A ticketed event can cite its sales. An open event should cite the organiser's experience of similar gatherings in that park.
Confirm the park's restroom status before the application. Find out whether the restrooms are open during the event hours, whether they are accessible, and whether the office considers them part of the event's provision. The answer decides whether the count rule applies in full.
Describe the access: the gate or path the truck will use, the width and surface of that path, and any height or weight limit on it. Park paths are often narrower and softer than they look, and the office will ask about them.
Setting a unit on park ground
On park ground the unit should sit on level, firm surface away from tree roots, play surfaces and the planted edge, with the path to it kept clear. The office approves the spot as part of the placement.
Avoid placing a unit over tree roots or on a lawn that will be churned by the crowd. A unit on soft lawn sinks and tilts, and the ground under it is damaged. A base or a board protects the surface and keeps the unit level.
Keep the spot clear of play surfaces, planting beds and any path the public will use as a shortcut. A unit set in the middle of a route invites people to walk around it on the grass, which is the damage the placement should prevent.
Ask the office whether it wants the spot marked on a map or agreed on a site walk before the day. A spot agreed on a walk is less likely to be moved on the morning of the event.
Frequently asked questions
Does the rule apply to every park?
No. The 1-per-125 figure is the City's park permit form requirement for a park without restrooms. It does not apply to a park with restrooms, a private event or a park run by another city.
Is the accessible share stated here?
No. The City's form sets the share, and its wording has to be read on the live form when the permit is filed. This page does not print a percentage.
When are units collected?
The form asks that units be collected no later than the following morning after the event. Write that time and the place on the order.
Who checks the plan?
The City's permit reviewer checks the plan against the form. A plan that shows the expected attendance, the count, the access and the dates is easier to review and to correct before the event.
Sources
This guide is general information for Multnomah County homeowners, not a substitute for an on-site inspection. Prices are estimates. See our disclaimer.