Key facts
- Race restrooms are sized for the pre-start rush, not the whole field.
- Every cluster — start/finish and each aid station — needs at least one accessible unit.
- A first-time organizer in our log planned 14 units: 12 standard and 2 accessible.
- We stage extra toilet paper at the start cluster on race morning.
How many porta potties for a half marathon?
Plan about 1 unit per 75–100 runners at the start/finish, plus 1–2 units at every aid station, with at least one accessible unit in each cluster. For a loop course, the start/finish doubles as a mid-race stop. A first-time half-marathon organizer in our log planned 14 units for a loop course.
Dispatch notebook
The organizer's plan: 14 units — 12 standard and 2 accessible — with most at the shared start/finish and a standard plus an accessible unit at the halfway hydration station. Sponsors arrived at 4, the race ran 6–9, and teardown started at 10, so the units stayed for the full day.
Source: 50-call sample, 2026 phone log. Names, numbers, addresses and payment details removed.
| Runners | Start/finish | Per aid station | Accessible |
|---|---|---|---|
| 300 | 3–4 | 1 | 1 per cluster |
| 600 | 6–8 | 1–2 | 1 per cluster |
| 1,000 | 10–12 | 2 | 1 per cluster |
Where do race units go?
In a straight row near — not on — the start corral, with doors facing the runners and the line forming away from the course. Set the accessible unit at the end nearest the parking. At aid stations, place units 20–30 yards past the water table, so runners grab water first and stop second.
“I was going to have 10 normal and one ADA placed at the beginning… And then at the halfway point, where my hydration aid station is, I was going to have another toilet and then another ADA one as well.”
When should a race book restrooms?
Book when the course is permitted — usually 6–8 weeks out — and confirm the final count two weeks before race day. Trucks set units the Friday before a Saturday race. If the start time is 6 AM, units are in place the evening before, so nothing depends on a race-morning delivery.
Asked on our phone line
Questions callers asked us
How many porta potties for a 5K or half marathon?
Plan about 1 unit per 75–100 runners at the start/finish and 1–2 units at each aid station, with at least one accessible unit per cluster. A first-time half-marathon organizer in our log planned 14 units — 12 standard and 2 accessible — with most at the start/finish and a standard plus an accessible unit at the halfway aid station.
Do I need a wheelchair-accessible porta potty?
If your event is open to the public, plan at least 5% of units in each cluster as accessible, minimum one, under the 2010 ADA Standards §213.2. For private parties, add one whenever a guest uses a wheelchair or walker. A race organizer in our log planned 12 standard and 2 accessible units — one accessible unit at each restroom cluster.
Do you give a discount for more than one unit?
Yes. Three or more units on the same drop get multi-unit pricing, and churches, schools and nonprofit races can ask about community rates. Because delivery is charged once per drop, adding a second unit already costs less than the first.
If I rent two units, do I pay delivery twice?
No. We charge one delivery fee per drop, not per unit. A caller pricing two toilets elsewhere was told the $97 delivery fee applied to each unit even on the same truck, which turned $520 into about $700. When your units ride on one truck to one address, you pay delivery once.
Do you deliver on Saturday or Sunday?
Weekend events are delivered on Friday and picked up on Monday at no extra charge, so the unit is already set before your first guest arrives. Our trucks run Monday through Friday, with Saturday routes for urgent jobsite calls. The office answers Monday through Saturday, 7 AM–6 PM.
Can I change my delivery date after I book?
Yes — date changes are free any time before the truck leaves the yard. Call or reply to your quote text. Your price stays the same unless you move into a holiday weekend that is already fully booked, in which case dispatch tells you before anything changes.