Portable Restrooms in the Oregon Suburbs and Across the County Lines

Why a suburb's answer can differ from Portland's

Each suburb and county sets its own rules for events and public ground. The Portland Parks form and the Special Event Permit do not govern a park or a street in a suburb.

A city, a town or a county in the suburbs runs its own offices and its own permits, and a neighbor's answer does not bind it.

A county park or a park district has its own rules, and the town's rules may not apply to it.

The searches did not confirm any particular suburb's rule, so this page states none.

The first question to ask

The first question is whether the event's permit requires a restroom plan to be shown, approved or filed, and whether the office sets a standard for the count.

A yes or no to the plan question tells the organizer whether a document must be produced. A standard for the count tells the vendor the figure to plan toward.

A town that sets no standard may still ask for the plan, and the organizer's count is then what the office reviews.

The answer is written down with the date and the name of the person who gave it.

Roads, sidewalks and closures

A unit on a road, sidewalk or shoulder must clear the traffic, the sight line and any emergency access the town requires. The town's traffic office sets those conditions.

A unit on a sidewalk must leave room for pedestrians and any wheelchair route the town requires.

A unit on a shoulder must not block a driver's view or the emergency route.

A road closure changes the placement, and the unit is set inside the closure rather than on the traffic side of it.

Which office answers when the line runs through the order

A suburban order can sit on either side of a county line, or on a road that is the boundary between two jurisdictions. The office that answers is the one for the spot, and the address is checked against the county map before anything is agreed.

The first step is to place the spot on a map of the county boundary, using the address and the nearest cross street. A spot a few hundred meters from the line can fall under a different office from the one the caller had in mind, and the terms that follow from that office can differ.

Once the office is known, ask it in writing about the spot: whether a unit may stand there, whether a permit is needed, and whether a count applies. The answer belongs on the order, with the name of the person who gave it and the date.

Where the order is for a road that forms the boundary, both offices may have a say. Ask each for its answer separately, and do not treat one answer as covering the other side. A short written note from each office is the clearest record for the crew and the customer.

Keep the county and the office on the order sheet, next to the address. A crew that arrives at a spot should be able to see at a glance which office approved it, and a question on the day can then be put to the right person without a search.