Whether you plan on hosting a large event or need a convenient bathroom for a festival, you may be wondering about porta potty expenses.
As the go-to choice for a mobile bathroom, porta-potties are a lifeline for those in need.
Several factors influence how expensive renting a porta potty can be.
How Much Does It Cost To Rent A Porta Potty? (Explained)
Standard porta potties run around $151 a week on average.
For a total month, it’s only $167 on average.
An ADA-accessible porta potty is $245 a week on average.
For a total month, it’s only $258 on average.
The reason there’s little difference between daily rental prices and monthly rental prices is that most of the fees associated with renting a porta potty are in the drop-off, set up, and pick-up processes.
What Factors Influence The Price Of Renting A Porta Potty?
There are a few details that can make your rental price higher or lower.
The company you rent the porta potty from will want to know these details to give you a fair quote.
If they discover that you’ve been untruthful about the situation the porta potty is in, then you could face a fine.
Here are some of the most common factors that can determine the final quote that you receive for renting a porta-potty.
1. Type
The type of porta potty that you rent will determine how expensive it is.
A standard porta potty doesn’t have electricity.
It doesn’t include running water either.
Instead, waste fills a tank which needs emptying the more that the bathroom is used.
It’s also basic in shape.
It’s placeable almost anywhere within health-hazard-indicated areas.
An ADA-complaint porta-potty, on the other hand, is more expensive.
That’s because it has several other features.
These porta potties have ramps, grab rails, and wider doors to make it easier for wheelchairs to pass through them.
These types of bathrooms are also larger to provide room for a wheelchair.
Along with having ADA-compliant restrooms, you also need to have enough of them.
According to the Americans with Disabilities Act, there should be enough ADA-compliant porta potties to serve 5% of the event’s population.
You may find yourself needing more ADA porta potties than standard porta potties since there isn’t a number on standard ones.
That can run up your bill.
Since they’re larger and have a ramp, an ADA-compliant porta potty is more expensive than a standard one because the setup takes longer.
If you want to keep your expenses small, then you’ll want to keep the event’s population small.
As long as you have enough porta potties to serve the entire population, you won’t need to buy another ADA-compliant porta potty.
2. Deluxe Porta Potties
A step above the standard porta potty is a deluxe variation.
There are a few different variations that you can use if a standard porta potty without a sink isn’t appealing.
The first tier after standard porta potties includes a hand sanitizing station.
That also sometimes includes a sink with running water and paper towels.
Setting up for this porta-potty takes time since it needs plumbing.
Since it takes more work and time, you can expect a deluxe porta potty to be more expensive.
The next tier in terms of luxury porta potties includes a toilet that flushes.
This type of porta potty is larger because it includes other amenities, too.
You can expect a toilet, urinal, a counter, and a sink.
Both the urinal, toilet, and sink work with water.
Your guests can flush the toilet and wash their hands like they would with a stationary bathroom.
This is an ideal choice for those who want a mobile bathroom but still want to save some money.
The final porta potty option is the restroom trailer.
This is a trailer equipped with private stalls.
The toilets flush, it has sinks with running water, and it also has lights and air conditioning.
The higher you go on the tier list, the more expensive it becomes to rent.
The average weekly rent for a deluxe porta potty is $289.
The average monthly rent for a deluxe porta potty is $359.
Renting a restroom trailer is the most expensive option.
The average weekly rent for a restroom trailer is $1,397.
The average monthly rent for a restroom trailer is $3,407.
Considering all the benefits your guests can receive with a restroom trailer, it makes sense that they’re so expensive.
If you have a more luxurious event occurring, then this might be the only choice that you can make to keep your event from receiving a poor reputation.
People are particular about their bathroom habits.
If they find the bathroom less than adequate based on the event that’s occurring, then it could put your event in a negative light.
You’ll need to carefully consider whether your reputation is worth more than your budget or not.
3. Hand Sanitizing Stations
The choice to have a hand sanitizing station is another factor that can determine the cost of renting a porta-potty.
In today’s world, it’s more important than ever to sanitize your hands, especially after using the bathroom.
You can offer the guests the ability to clean their hands by having a hand sanitizing station outside of the porta-potty.
Not only can those who use the porta-potty use it to clean their hands, but those who are passing by the area can also use it to keep clean.
If you want to add a hand sanitizing station to your porta potty, then you can expect an average cost of $155 a day on top of your rental fee for the type of porta potty that you’re using.
That’s an average of $211 a month on top of your monthly rental fee.
Keeping your guests clean and ensuring that everyone is safe is well worth the extra cost.
4. Number Of Porta Potties Per Event
A big deciding factor of the cost of a porta potty is how many you need.
That can be difficult to decide for first-time renters.
Some types of events have an established number for health and safety reasons.
Here’s a quick breakdown of the number of porta potties you should have based on the type of event you’re hosting.
- Construction sites start with a single porta potty if they only have 10 workers present on the site at a time, but that number increases to 32 if they have three shifts and 80 workers on site.
- Events lasting a single hour with a few guests only need one porta-potty, but that number increases to 63 porta-potties if they have over 5,000 guests and the event lasts longer than 10 hours.
A general rule of thumb is to add one ADA-compliant porta potty for every four standard porta potties that you need.
That will ensure that any disabled guests have plenty of opportunities to use a bathroom that suits their needs.
Another aspect to note about the number of porta potties you’ll need is whether food and drinks are being served or not.
If they are, then it’s a good idea to add 15% to 20% more bathrooms.
With the presence of food, more people are going to need to use the bathroom.
The more bathrooms that you need at your event or work site, the more expensive it’s going to be to rent them.
Some companies may be able to give you a bulk deal, but otherwise, you could be looking at $500 to $1,000 if you have three or four porta-potties.
5. Location
The location of the event or job site affects the rental price of a porta-potty.
The further it is away from the facility that rents it, the more expensive it’s going to be.
That’s because the company has to factor in transportation costs.
They’ll need to pay for gas to get there and to return from the location.
The time it takes to get to the location will also play a role in the rental fee.
The type of area the location is in can also impact the price.
If you’re hosting an event in an affluent area, for example, then it’s going to be more expensive.
That’s because rental prices are always more expensive in affluent areas.
The opposite is true when you’re hosting the event in a cheap area.
If the prices in the area are cheap, then the rental fee is also going to be cheaper.
6. Season
The season also impacts the rental price of your porta potty because it influences how available they are.
The summer months are extremely expensive because many events are occurring at the same time.
It’s also when construction projects are in full swing.
Since there are several of both of these instances occurring, often at the same time, then the availability of porta potties decreases.
Since supply is down and demand is high, the price for renting porta potties goes up.
The type of porta potty can also influence its availability.
While concerts may rely on standard porta-potties, weddings and other luxurious events may prefer a deluxe porta potty instead.
Since deluxe porta potties are already on the rarer side, the availability for them is quick to dry up.
That makes renting a deluxe porta potty very expensive.
Renting a bathroom in the fall and winter seasons will be cheaper.
The temperatures drop and the weather becomes questionable.
There are fewer outdoor events, so the availability of porta potties increases.
The spring season has periods of high activity and low activity.
The early part of spring has low activity since it’s still chilly.
The later part of spring has high activity because many families throw graduation parties.
Planning your event or construction project accordingly can help you rent a porta potty when the demand for them is low.
It can save you money.
7. Proprietor
Whom you choose to rent the porta potty from can be a big factor in the rental price.
Local companies are your cheapest option.
They’re the ones who are most likely to work with you to make a deal.
They’re also quick to answer your questions and respond if there are any problems.
The problem with local companies is that they don’t always have a large variety of porta potties available.
You may find that they don’t have enough ADA-compliant bathrooms for your needs.
Or they may not carry restroom trailers.
Their prices are cheap, but your needs may not be 100% met.
The next option is to use a national chain.
These big businesses have a large variety of porta-potties.
Since they’re a national chain, they can send someone to your location if there isn’t a store nearby you already.
The problem with working with a national chain is that they’re more expensive.
You’ll need to pay the cost of working with a well-known brand name and with transport costs.
However, because they’re a national chain, they have excellent customer service and can make things more convenient for you.
The final option is to contact a broker.
A broker is responsible for learning about your needs, the details of your event, and then finding the right supplier.
They do all the hard work of scheduling and figuring out fees.
The nice thing about using a broker is that they take care of it all on your behalf.
The bad thing about using a broker is that it’s more expensive.
You’ll have to pay for the porta-potties and the broker’s services.
You’re basically adding in a middleman.
8. Event Size And Duration
When you speak with a supplier about renting a porta potty, they’re going to want to know how large the event is going to be and how long it’s going to last.
These factors can influence the price because they’ll determine how many porta potties you need.
The more people you have, the more bathrooms you’re going to need.
Even if you have a small group, you’re still going to need an adequate number of porta potties if the event lasts a few hours.
That’s because the longer people are at the event, the more likely they are going to need to use the bathroom.
Too few bathrooms mean you’re going to have long lines and filthy bathrooms.
9. Food
If you’re serving food or drinks at the event, then you’ll also want to add more bathrooms than you’ll think you’ll need.
Any time food is available at an event, people are going to need to use the bathroom as they load up on it.
That’s because the type of food served at events usually isn’t great.
It’s processed or is filling and speeds up the digestive process.
Drinks are another reason you should have more porta-potties in the area than you originally planned.
With more people drinking, more people are going to need to use the bathroom.
10. Maintenance
Some suppliers will also add a maintenance fee if you want someone on hand to clean the bathroom every now and then.
At the very least, you can expect a maintenance fee at the end of your rental time because the supplier needs to empty it for you.
This takes time and it is unpleasant work.
Depending on the crowd and longevity of the event, you may have a large maintenance fee that can make the overall price of renting a porta potty more expensive.
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