PortaPros Blog

September 5, 2024

Understanding Porta Potty Requirements for Special Events in Idaho and Eastern Oregon

During every season, Idaho and Eastern Oregon host special events for you and your family to enjoy. Whether you're in Boise, Idaho and visiting the Boise Farmers Market, in Pocatello, Idaho for the Renaissance Fair, or enjoying the beautiful sculptures at the McCall Winter Carnival, there are amazing events full of great community, fantastic weather, and beautiful venues.At PortaPros, one very common question we get asked by event planners is – How many porta potties do I need at my event and how often should they be serviced?

The short answer is that PortaPros recommends following standards for special events set by the Portable Sanitation Association International (PSAI). But that’s not all you need to consider…

Variables to Consider When Planning Your Special Event

When we help customers plan for special events, we ask a series of questions to help us get a sense of the right number of porta potties to provide a clean + reliable experience for your guests – that’s part of the PortaPros Difference.

Those questions include:

• How many guests will your event have?
• What is the length of the event (both in terms of hours and number of days)?
• What will the temperature be during events?
• Will food and/or alcohol will be served at the event?

These factors can affect the number of porta potty your event will need by 20 – 30%.

Getting clarity on these questions and scenarios early on in the process will help the PortaPros team accurately estimate the number of porta potties you will need for your event.

Small, Single-Day Events

For single day events such as a wedding, backyard party, and other small events with less than 250 guests, you will need anywhere from 1 – 3 porta potties depending on the length of the event (in hours). An event with 50 guests lasting 4 hours would likely only need one porta potty. An event with 250 guests lasting 5+ hours would likely need 3 porta potties. For a one-day event, the porta potties you rent normally will not need to be serviced until pick up after your event.

If you have questions, the PortaPros Team can help you determine the optimal number of porta potties to keep your guests happy.

Larger Single & Multi-Day Events

For larger events – anywhere from 500 – 20,000 guests – the number of porta potties needed for events of this size grows based on number of guests and duration of the event. Don’t forget to include any volunteers, security guards, and vendors when totaling up your guest count. One of our key assumptions is that one porta potty can provide approximately 200 uses and that each guest will use the restroom once every 4 hours. It is always better to over-plan for your guests when making these estimations. A full day event (10 hours) with 5,000 guests would require 40 porta potties. A full-day event (10 hours) with 10,000 guests would require 55 porta-potties.

For a large one-day event, the restrooms normally would not need to be serviced until pick up after your event. For multi-day events, we recommend daily servicing (either before or after your event each day). This servicing includes a thorough cleaning and deodorizing of the porta potties and adding fragrance. Hand sanitizer is also included in our porta potties, and that will be replaced as part of the servicing as well.

Handwash Stations

Regardless of how big your event is or how many porta potties you need, they will be delivered clean, deodorized and fragranced. All PortaPros porta potties include hand sanitizer as a courtesy to you and your guests, but we always recommend a portable handwash station as an additional service. For more information and rationale about this recommendation for having a portable handwash station, check out our blog post about the difference between hand washing and hand sanitizing. One portable handwash station is recommended for every 10 porta potties.

Porta Potty Calculator

For an estimate of what you will need for your next special event, please check out our Portable Toilet Calculator. Our calculator recommends the number of porta potties based on standards set by PSAI. For a better guest experience, we always suggest considering more than the minimum recommended number of porta potties. Shorter lines mean your guests will be able to enjoy your event instead of waiting to use the restroom.

Why PortaPros for Special Events?

PortaPros is locally owned and operated, with Idaho offices in Nampa and Pocatello and an Eastern Oregon office located in Ontario. We are the go-to source for special event porta potties and handwash stations. PortaPros also offers temporary event fencing if it is needed for your next event!

The PortaPros Team is ready to service your next special event. Give us a call at 208-467-0089 with any questions or needs.