OSHA Porta Potty Requirements for Construction Sites
How many toilets a jobsite needs under OSHA 29 CFR 1926.51, when urinals count, when handwashing is required, and where the legal minimum ends and good practice begins.
How many toilets does OSHA require on a construction site?
OSHA 29 CFR 1926.51(c) Table D-1 requires 1 toilet for 20 or fewer employees. From 20 to 199 employees, the site needs 1 toilet seat and 1 urinal for every 40 workers. At 200 or more employees, it needs 1 toilet seat and 1 urinal for every 50 workers.
| Employees | Minimum facilities |
|---|---|
| 20 or fewer | 1 toilet |
| 20 to 199 | 1 toilet seat and 1 urinal per 40 workers |
| 200 or more | 1 toilet seat and 1 urinal per 50 workers |
Read the standard: OSHA 1926.51 Sanitation.
How do I count toilets for a crew of 65?
A crew of 65 needs 2 toilet seats and 2 urinals at minimum, because 65 divided by 40 is 1.6, which rounds up to 2. A standard porta potty has both a seat and a urinal, so 2 standard units meet the minimum. With weekly service, 7 units keeps them usable all week.
The gap between 2 and 7 is about capacity, not law. One standard unit holds about 200 uses between services. Ten workers using it two or three times a day for five days fill it in about a week. That is why we size jobsites at 1 unit per 10 workers when service is weekly, and suggest twice-weekly service for crews running 10-hour shifts.
Does OSHA require handwashing at the jobsite?
OSHA 1926.51(f) requires adequate washing facilities for employees working with paints, coatings, herbicides, insecticides or other harmful contaminants. They must sit near the work and be kept sanitary, with soap or another cleanser, water, and towels or air dryers. Many general contractors require a hand wash station on every site anyway.
A two-sided hand wash station beside the toilets covers most residential and commercial jobs. Stucco, paint and concrete crews use them most.
Which crews are exempt from the toilet requirement?
Mobile crews are exempt under 1926.51(c)(4) when they work at a location for a short time and have transportation readily available to nearby toilet facilities. A two-person service crew moving between houses in a truck usually qualifies; a framing crew on one lot all week does not.
When in doubt, the general contractor or safety officer decides. Many Dothan-area builders keep one unit per house site so subcontractors never use the homeowner's bathroom.
What does Alabama require for portable toilets?
Alabama's onsite sewage rule, Ala. Admin. Code r. 420-3-1-.29, allows portable toilets that meet the ANSI/PSAI Z4.3 or Z4.4 standards, and requires them to be pumped by a certified pumper often enough to prevent a public nuisance or hazard. The rule does not set a number of days between pumpings.
Source: Alabama Administrative Code 420-3-1-.29. Weekly service on a 28-day rental is the industry norm for jobsites. See our construction porta potty rental page for setup and billing.
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