Porta Potty Rental for Home Builders

How many porta potties does a tract need?

Two numbers set the count: how many people are on the site, and how far they have to walk.

Headcount. California requires one toilet and one hand-wash station for every 20 employees or fraction of 20 (Cal/OSHA Title 8 §1526 and §1527). On a tract the count that matters is everyone inside the fence on the busiest day. That includes framers, roofers, stucco and drywall crews, landscapers and the builder's own staff, even though each trade is a separate employer.

Divide the peak count by 20 and round up. One hundred and five workers is six units, not five.

Distance. The state minimum assumes nothing about layout. A tract can stretch a quarter mile from the first lot to the last, and a crew working at the far end will not walk back to the entrance. Builders usually spread units by phase and by street so no crew is more than a few lots from one. That takes more units than the minimum, and it is the number we will ask you about.

For help with the math, use the porta potty calculator. The rule's wording on all-gender units and other exceptions is covered in the Cal/OSHA guide.

What is the hand-wash station ratio?

One to one with the toilets by headcount: one station per 20 workers or fraction. Three details matter on a tract.

• Stations stand apart from the toilets. With portable toilets, the washing station must be outside the unit and not attached to it. The exception for crews under five does not apply to a tract.
• Stations go where the toilets go. The rule says a worker must be able to wash readily any time a toilet is used. A bank of toilets at Phase 2 and all the stations at the trailer does not meet that.
• Paint and coatings crews need washing nearby. Where workers apply paints or coatings or handle other harmful substances, washing facilities must be near the worksite. Plan a station close to the houses in paint and stucco color coat.

Each station carries fresh water, soap and paper towels, and is refilled on the service visit. See hand-wash stations.

How do units move as phases complete?

A tract is not one site for long. Phase 1 is in finish while Phase 3 is in framing and Phase 5 is still being graded. The toilets need to follow the work.

How we handle it:

1. Send us the phasing map when you request a quote.
2. We place units for the phases that are active now.
3. When a phase closes out, your superintendent calls with the new locations.
4. We relocate the units and update the service route so the driver goes to the right streets. We can move a unit when we are on site for your regular service. If you need it moved sooner and we have to make a special trip, a relocation fee applies, and the amount depends on the location.
5. Units that are no longer needed go off rent on pickup.

Once families move into the first phases, toilets on their street become a complaint. Move them before the first closing, not after.

What about the model-home complex and sales office?

The model complex opens while most of the tract is still dirt. Three points:

• Keep construction units away from it. Place them behind the construction fence or around the corner from the model street, out of the sales office sight line.
• Model-home bathrooms are for show. Builders generally do not want crews, or the public, using them. Sales staff need a restroom that works, and until the sales office plumbing is live, that can be a dedicated unit reserved for them.
• Units the public may use follow different accessibility rules. The federal exemption covers portable toilets used only by construction personnel (U.S. Access Board). A unit set out for buyers or grand-opening visitors is not in that category, so plan on an ADA-accessible unit.

For a grand opening or broker event, a restroom trailer suits the setting better. We arrange trailers through partners, and pricing is by quote.

Should a tract be on twice-weekly service?

Weekly service is included with every 28-day rental. Cal/OSHA does not set a pumping interval. It requires that toilets be kept clean, in working order and stocked with toilet paper. On a tract, whether weekly service meets that standard depends on how many people use each unit.

Consider a second weekly visit when:

• A phase is in framing or drywall and every unit is in heavy use.
• You are running close to the 20-per-unit minimum with no spare units.
• Summer temperatures in the inland valleys are high.
• A unit by the gate or trailer gets used by every delivery driver.

The alternative is more units on weekly service. We will quote both ways so you can compare. Added service visits are quoted when you call.

Where do units go under the SWPPP?

Construction that disturbs one acre or more, or a smaller site that is part of a larger common plan of development, needs coverage under the state Construction General Permit, and a Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan is part of the registration (State Water Board, Construction General Permit FAQ). Nearly every tract is covered.

Portable toilets are a listed pollutant source on these sites. The CASQA sanitary waste fact sheet says to place portable facilities at least 50 feet from drainage conveyances and traffic areas where site conditions allow, to provide containment against discharge to the storm drain system, and to secure units against overturning in high winds (CASQA WM-9).

In practice:

• Mark each toilet location on the SWPPP site map, and update it when units move.
• Set units behind the curb or on a lot, away from inlets, v-ditches, basins and the gutter flow line.
• On windy or exposed sites, ask us about staking or tying down the units.
• Where the SWPPP calls for containment, ask for a containment tray under each unit. We offer them.

Your QSD or QSP decides what the plan requires. We place units where they direct.

What do superintendents need from a toilet supplier?

A service day they can plan around. If you know the day, you can keep the streets clear of concrete pours, lumber drops and paving. Service runs on a set route, which is how we keep pricing competitive. You can request a specific service day. If your site needs a day that requires a special trip, the price may change.

A route that is passable. A loaded pump truck cannot cross deep mud. After rain, keep units near paved or base-rocked streets and tell us about closed entrances.

Someone who answers. We take calls from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. seven days a week, and the same number is answered 24 hours a day for emergencies such as a tipped unit.

Fast adds. Same-day and next-day delivery from our Murrieta yard, for the day a trade shows up with a larger crew than planned.

Paperwork. We provide certificates of insurance, including additional-insured certificates, on request.

How is tract pricing worked out?

By quote. A tract order has too many variables for a list price: number of toilets and stations, service frequency, expected relocations and how long each phase runs. Send the phasing map, peak headcount per phase and start dates, and we will return a written price for the whole site.

The published starting point is $189 per 28 days for a construction unit with weekly service, plus a delivery and pickup fee. There are no fuel or environmental surcharges. Multi-unit orders are quoted by the job. General pricing is on the pricing page.

What else can you supply for a tract?

• Temporary fence panels for the model complex, material yards and phase perimeters, arranged through our partners. See temporary fence rental.
• Roll-off dumpsters for framing, drywall and cleanup debris, from our sister company Victory Dumpsters.
• One contact for all three. See job site services.

Where do you serve home builders?

We deliver to tracts in Menifee, French Valley, Winchester, Murrieta, Lake Elsinore, Perris, Beaumont and San Jacinto. New subdivisions are still being proposed in this area. One example is a Menifee site of about 27 acres proposed for 192 single-family lots in an October 2025 notice filed with the state (CEQAnet). Other cities are on our service areas page.

Building single homes, not tracts? See custom home builds or go back to construction porta potty rental.

Home builder FAQ

Do subcontractors bring their own toilets? On most tracts the builder provides them for everyone. Each employer is responsible for its own workers, but shared units placed by the builder are how sites meet the count without a different toilet for every trade.

Can units stay in the street once it is paved? While the streets are still private and inside your fence, that is your decision and your SWPPP's. Once a street is accepted as public, a unit on it needs an encroachment permit from the city or county. See the permit guide.

Can you add units for a single week? Yes. Units can be added or removed at any time. Job site rentals bill in 28-day periods.

Do you supply holding tanks for the construction trailer?

Request a tract quote

Call (951) 517-3600 or send the form below with the tract location, phasing map, peak crew size and start date. We will reply with unit counts, a service schedule and a price for the whole site.