Portable Toilet Rental in Logan Square, Chicago

How many toilets does a graystone renovation crew need?

Restoring a limestone-faced house is rarely a weekend job, and the crew often grows and shrinks as trades come and go. The count of toilets follows the count of workers. The Chicago Plumbing Code says no one may start construction, alteration or repair of a building without sufficient toilet facilities for employees, with at least one per 30 employees or fraction of 30. OSHA's rule at 29 CFR 1926.51(c) is different in shape: one toilet for 20 or fewer workers, then one seat and one urinal per 40 workers once the crew passes 20.

Where the two numbers differ, the stricter one governs, and the project's permit office is the place to confirm which that is. The code also says a non-sewer facility on private property has to be kept sanitary and serviced, and has to sit at least 5 feet from property lines. Think about that distance before you pick a spot, because a unit placed in the first convenient corner may have to be moved by the provider later.

Our guide on construction site toilet requirements in Chicago walks through both rules, and the construction site toilets page explains what to tell a provider about crew size, duration and servicing.

What changes when the event happens every Sunday?

A one-off party and a weekly outdoor market are different planning problems. A weekly event wants servicing timed around its own schedule, and it wants a plan for what happens in the cold months, when the Logan Square market moves indoors to Emporium Logan Square and the outdoor demand pauses. We make no claim about who orders units for that market; the point is that any recurring Sunday gathering on a boulevard should be planned as a series rather than a single drop.

When you call, say how many Sundays you expect, whether food is being sold, and whether handwashing needs to sit next to the toilets. Handwashing is its own product, and the handwashing stations page explains why food and crowd events usually ask for it. The provider decides the servicing rhythm, and you should never try to empty or move a unit yourself.

If an event would close any part of a public street or sidewalk, the City of Chicago sets the permit rules. The Mayor's Office of Special Events can be reached at (312) 744-3315, and a rental provider cannot approve or promise a permit for you.

Can a toilet stay on a Logan Square job through a Chicago winter?

January in Chicago averages about 25.2 F according to the National Weather Service, the record January low is -27 F from 1985, and a wind chill near 0 F with a 20 mph wind feels like about -22 F. Lake Michigan wind sweeps across the flat city. A renovation that started in the fall can easily run into that weather, and a crew still needs a toilet in it.

Winter use is a question for the provider rather than a promise from us. Ask whether it has units suited to freezing weather, how it would handle servicing when the ground is icy, and what access it needs to the spot you have in mind. The cold-weather portable toilets page lists the questions worth asking before you commit.