Porta Potty Rental FAQ

Three things set the price: which unit, how long you keep it, and how far the truck drives. Short-term rentals run from about $75 up to $300 a day depending on the unit, while weekly and monthly rates work out dramatically cheaper per day. In Marin, a standard unit on a monthly job site rental usually lands around $150 to $250 a month with the weekly service already in it.

One day on an event, one month on a job site. That is the industry norm and it is how our rates are built. Past the first month a construction rental rolls on month to month, so a job that wraps up early costs you nothing extra.

Delivery and pickup are typically included within the service area, and ours covers San Rafael, Novato, Mill Valley, San Anselmo, Larkspur, Corte Madera, Sausalito, Tiburon and Fairfax. Additional fees may apply for locations outside that standard range, such as West Marin and the coast, and we quote those before you book.

For long-term rentals, units are serviced once per week: pumped, cleaned and restocked. More frequent servicing is available upon request and is worth taking on any site running more than about fifteen people through one unit.

Waste pump-out, interior cleaning and sanitizing, restocking toilet paper, and refilling hand sanitizer. We also recharge the deodorizer in the tank and check the door, vent and dispensers while we are there. The visit takes about ten minutes and nobody needs to be present.

Renters are typically responsible for damage beyond normal wear and tear, and it is worth asking about damage waiver options on an unsecured site. In practice we repair or swap out most knocks without a fuss; deliberate vandalism on an open site is the one case we would want to discuss.

Somewhere flat, firm and reachable by a truck. Keep it a good 25 feet clear of anywhere food is being handled, and close enough that guests or crew will actually walk to it. The hard constraint is our service hose: it runs roughly twenty-five feet from wherever the truck can stop, and anything beyond that is a unit which gets pumped when it is convenient rather than when it is due.

A standard unit needs roughly a 4×4 ft footprint. Delivery trucks need at least 10 ft of clearance width and overhead access. On the narrower Marin streets we bring a smaller truck, but the hose distance to where the unit sits is the constraint that does not change.

We deliver to most locations including private property, construction sites, parks and event venues across Marin. Some locations may require permits, particularly anything sitting in the public right of way. Steep canyon and hillside addresses need a smaller truck, and a few will not take a towed trailer at all.

We do. An accessible unit is a much bigger cabin: ground-level entry or a shallow ramp, grab bars either side of the seat, and enough clear floor to turn a wheelchair. Public events and a lot of agency contracts are obliged to provide one. Put it on firm, level ground with nothing to step over on the approach, or the compliance is on paper only.

Yes. Units can be winterized with antifreeze solutions, and some luxury trailers include heating. Marin rarely freezes hard, so the bigger winter problem here is soft ground: a unit that was reachable in September can be sitting in mud by February, and we will move it onto gravel or boards rather than lose the service stop.

Yes, and it is most of our work. OSHA requires one unit per 10 workers on job sites, serviced at least weekly, and a separate hand washing station under 1926.51. We spec both against your crew size and rent them on monthly rates across the county.

Costs vary by unit type, rental duration and delivery distance. In Marin, a standard unit on a monthly construction rental usually lands around $150 to $250 a month with weekly service included, and a single unit for a weekend event runs roughly $125 to $250 delivered and collected. Trailers and luxury units are priced per day and cost considerably more. We quote flat over the phone once we know the headcount and the dates.

Events go out for a day at a time, job sites for a month at a time, which is the standard across the trade. Almost every Marin construction rental runs well past a month anyway, and once that first month is behind you there is no penalty for handing the unit back whenever the work finishes.

Yes, within our service area. Delivery and pickup are inside the quoted price for anywhere in San Rafael, Novato, Mill Valley, San Anselmo, Larkspur, Corte Madera, Sausalito, Tiburon and Fairfax. Additional fees may apply for locations outside that range, such as West Marin and the coast, and we tell you that number before you book rather than after.

For long-term rentals, units are serviced once per week: pumped, cleaned and restocked. More frequent servicing is available on request and is worth taking on any site with more than about fifteen people using one unit. Event rentals over a single weekend usually do not need a mid-rental visit.

Waste pump-out, interior cleaning and sanitizing, restocking toilet paper, and refilling hand sanitizer. We also recharge the deodorizer in the tank and check the door, the vent and the paper holder while we are there. The whole visit takes about ten minutes and does not need anyone on site.

Renters are typically responsible for damage beyond normal wear and tear, and it is worth asking about damage waiver options if the site is unsecured overnight. In practice most damage we see is wind or a reversing truck, and we repair or swap the unit without a fuss. Deliberate vandalism on an open site is the one case where we will have a conversation about it.

One to two business days is normal across the county, and same-day is often possible in San Rafael and the towns nearest our yard if you call in the morning. Event bookings for summer weekends should be made further out, particularly for trailers, because there are only so many of those in the county.

On private property, no. A unit placed in the public right of way, which usually means a parking space or a sidewalk, needs an encroachment permit from the town, and requirements vary between San Rafael, Sausalito, Mill Valley and the rest. If your only workable spot is curbside, sort the permit before delivery rather than after a code officer has tagged it.

A standard unit has an open holding tank, a vented seat and a sanitizer dispenser inside a molded plastic cabin. A luxury unit has a flushing toilet with its own fresh-water supply, a working sink, a mirror, interior lighting and a neutral enclosed exterior. Both are delivered the same way and need nothing from the site, but the experience inside is not comparable.

No. Everything runs off onboard tanks and battery lighting, which is the main practical advantage over a trailer. That is what makes them the workable option on Marin hillside lots and canyon properties where towing a trailer in is out of the question.

Around a hundred uses between services, which in practice means one unit comfortably covers fifty to seventy-five guests at a four-hour event. Add a bar and that figure drops by roughly a third. For anything over about a hundred guests we would put two units in or talk to you about a trailer.

Yes. Marin rarely gets cold enough for a hard freeze, but units can be winterized with antifreeze in the tank where an event sits up on the ridge or inland during a cold snap. Some luxury trailers include heating; single cabins do not, so for a winter evening event a trailer is the better call.

Usually. The unit arrives on a flatbed and gets set with a lift gate, so the requirement is truck access to within about twenty-five feet and a level spot to stand it on. We look at difficult addresses before the first delivery rather than sending a driver to find out.

For a summer Saturday in Marin, two to three months. Our upscale stock is finite and the good dates go early. Outside the May to October window, two or three weeks is usually enough, and we can often do better than that at short notice.

Yes, and it is most of what we do. OSHA requires one unit per ten workers on job sites, serviced at least weekly, and that is how we spec an order. We deliver across Marin in one to two business days, run a fixed weekly service day, and rent month to month so units go back the week the job finishes.

Start from one unit per ten workers. A ten-person framing crew needs one; a twenty-five person site needs three. Long shifts, a crew with a lot of women on it, or a site where the units are a long walk from the work all argue for going one above the minimum, because the alternative is people driving off site to find a bathroom.

In most cases yes. OSHA 1926.51 requires accessible hand washing facilities, and the sanitizer dispenser inside the toilet does not satisfy it by itself. A separate station beside the units is what inspectors look for, and it is what we supply as standard alongside job site orders.

One month. That is the industry standard for construction and it is how our monthly rate is built. After the first month it is genuinely month to month, so a job that wraps up early does not carry a cancellation charge.

Yes, and on multifamily, balcony and repipe work we expect to. Repositioning within the same site is part of the rental rather than a billed move. Just give us a day or two of notice so it goes on the route properly.

Call us and we will come out. On an unsecured site this happens occasionally and we would rather deal with it than have your crew try to right a full unit. Normal wear and the odd knock are on us; repeated deliberate damage is a conversation about siting and, if needed, a swap.

A standard unit needs roughly a 4×4 ft footprint on level ground. The truck needs at least 10 ft of clearance width and overhead access, and the service hose runs about twenty-five feet from where it can park. On tight Marin streets we bring a smaller truck, but the hose distance is the constraint that does not change.

One unit per fifty guests covers a four-hour event. Once there is an open bar and the reception runs past dark, plan on one per twenty-five. A two-station trailer handles about a hundred guests, a four-station handles two to three hundred, and it is worth adding a separate standard unit for the vendors and the band.

On flat, firm ground, fifty to a hundred feet from the reception, out of the photograph lines but on a path guests can walk in formal shoes. Keep units at least 25 feet from food service areas. If the walk will be dark, plan lighting along it at the same time you plan the placement.

We deliver to most locations including private property, ranches and event venues across Marin. Some sites may require permits, and some cannot take a trailer at all because of the driveway, the grade or the trees. We check the address before confirming, and where a trailer will not fit we put enclosed VIP units in instead.

A trailer wants a garden hose connection and a 30-amp outlet. Where the venue has neither we bring a fresh-water tank and a quiet generator, which is common on Marin ranch and canyon properties. Enclosed VIP cabins are fully self-contained and need nothing at all.

For a Saturday between May and October, three to six months. Trailer stock in the county is limited and the peak dates go first. Off-season and weekday weddings are much easier, and we can often help at a few weeks’ notice.

Yes. Trailers usually have steps, so an accessible unit is a separate item: larger, with a ramp, grab bars and space to turn a wheelchair. It needs firm level ground within a sensible walk of the reception, and we would rather site it with you at the walkthrough than guess.

A typical two-station trailer needs a standard garden hose connection and a 30-amp outlet. Larger trailers may need 50-amp service. We confirm during the site check, and where a property has neither we bring a fresh-water tank and a quiet generator, which is a routine arrangement on ranch and canyon properties in Marin.

A two-station handles up to about a hundred guests for a four-hour event. A three or four-station covers two to three hundred. Larger trailers scale from there. An open bar and a late finish both push those numbers down, so tell us the shape of the event rather than just the headcount.

Yes, by a wide margin. Flushing porcelain toilets, sinks with hot and cold running water, mirrors, vanities, interior lighting, climate control and a solid floor. Guests generally describe the experience as walking into a bathroom rather than into a rental unit.

Yes, using leveling jacks and pads. The limits are soft ground after rain, which can leave a trailer stuck, and grades steep enough that the jacks run out of travel. We need to know about the surface during the site check so the right blocks and boards are on the truck.

Yes, and it is included on multi-day rentals. We pump, refill the fresh water and restock at an off-peak hour agreed in advance, usually early morning, so it happens without anybody noticing.

That is the question worth answering before anything else. Trailers are towed, so they need gate width, turning room, manageable grade, overhead clearance and somewhere level to stand. A lot of Marin canyon and hillside properties cannot take one, and on those we deliver enclosed VIP cabins on a flatbed instead.

Yes, and they go out on the same Marin routes as everything else. An accessible cabin is roughly twice the footprint of a standard one, with a shallow ramp or ground-level threshold, grab bars beside the seat, lowered fittings and room inside to turn a wheelchair. Public events and most agency contracts are obliged to provide at least one.

At least one, and roughly five percent of your total unit count once the event gets large. Spread them across the site rather than putting them all in one place, so nobody has to cross the whole venue to reach one.

Considerably more than a standard unit, because of the five-foot turning circle inside. Plan for roughly twice the footprint, plus a clear approach with no curb, step or soft edge between the path and the door.

Yes, with matting or boards down first. A ramp that ends in soft turf is not usable, so if grass is the only option, the surface treatment has to be part of the order rather than an afterthought. Firm compacted ground or pavement is always better.

Usually not on its own, because trailers have steps. The standard arrangement for Marin weddings and public events is a trailer for general use with a ground-level accessible unit alongside it, sited on the same path.

It depends on the contract and on who is working there. Public agency work in Marin generally requires it, many commercial general contractors specify it as a matter of policy, and any site with a worker who needs one certainly does. Ask us and we will spec the site properly.

On a construction site, almost certainly yes. OSHA requires accessible hand washing within easy reach of the toilets, and the sanitizer dispenser inside the unit does not satisfy that on its own. Some restroom models have a small built-in sink, but most job sites need a separate station.

Yes. We rent hot-water units for food service and for industrial sites that require them. They need a 110V outlet or a small inverter on site, so tell us when you book and we will confirm what the location can supply.

Once a week as standard, on the same visit that services your toilets. Heavy-use sites can go to twice weekly, and busy event weekends can have a same-day fill scheduled, which is worth doing on a hot day with a big crowd.

Into a sealed greywater tank inside the unit, which we pump out during the weekly service. Nothing drains onto the ground, which matters on the creek-side and bay-margin sites we work on around Marin.

A reasonable rule is one station per two toilet units, or one per ten to twenty workers depending on how spread out the site is. At events, put one at each cluster of facilities and one at the catering area, because the caterer will want it separate from the guest queue.

It needs level ground and access for the service truck, same as everything else we deliver. Beyond that, put it where people actually are: beside the toilets on a job site, and next to the food on an event site. A station nobody walks past does not get used.