How do you read Table D-1 correctly?
Table D-1 counts employees, and it counts toilet seats and urinals rather than delivered units. One standard portable restroom typically contains one toilet seat and one urinal, so on most job sites the two align. On a site using restroom trailers or multi-stall units, a single delivered unit can satisfy several seats.
The bands trip people up
At 20 or fewer employees the requirement is simply one facility. At 20 or more the ratio becomes one seat and one urinal per 40 workers. At 200 or more it tightens to one per 50 workers, which is a stricter ratio rather than a looser one, because very large sites concentrate demand into shorter break windows.
Temporary field conditions
Where a site genuinely operates under temporary field conditions, provisions must be made to assure that not less than one toilet facility is available. That is a floor, not a licence to under-provision a fixed site.
Does the mobile crew exemption cover your crew?
OSHA states that the sanitation requirements do not apply to mobile crews having transportation readily available to nearby toilet facilities. It is a genuine exemption for utility, paving and service crews that move through a day with a vehicle.
Both conditions have to hold. Transportation has to be readily available rather than theoretically present, and the facilities have to be nearby. A crew parked on a rural stretch with the nearest open restroom fifteen minutes away is not covered in any practical reading, and the exemption does not apply at all to a crew working a fixed site.
How does Florida rule change the answer?
Florida Table PR II counts people rather than seats, and adds a unit for every 10 people above 30. For crews above 10 the Florida figure is higher, and the gap grows with the crew.
Sizing a Florida job site to Table PR II first and then checking it against OSHA is the faster route to a compliant number. Enforcement is also split: OSHA enforces 1926.51 through its own inspections, while the Florida requirement is administered by the county health department. A site can satisfy one and fail the other.
What does OSHA expect beyond the count?
The standard's stated intent is that workers have sanitary and immediately available toilet facilities, so they do not suffer adverse health effects from facilities that are unsanitary or unavailable when needed.
Immediately available is the operative phrase on large or vertical sites. A single bank at the site entrance on a twenty-storey structure is not immediately available to a crew on the eighteenth floor, which is why high-rise contractors relocate units upward as the structure rises.
The rules this page relies on, as published
Every claim above traces to one of these. Each block reproduces the requirement and links the primary source, so you can verify it rather than take our word for it.
OSHA toilet requirements on construction sites
OSHA 29 CFR 1926.51(c) Table D-1 requires 1 toilet facility for 20 or fewer employees; for 20 or more employees, 1 toilet seat and 1 urinal per 40 workers; and for 200 or more employees, 1 toilet seat and 1 urinal per 50 workers.
| Number of employees | Minimum number of facilities |
|---|---|
| 20 or fewer | 1 toilet facility |
| 20 or more | 1 toilet seat and 1 urinal per 40 workers |
| 200 or more | 1 toilet seat and 1 urinal per 50 workers |
Under temporary field conditions, provisions must be made to assure not less than one toilet facility is available. The requirement does not apply to mobile crews that have transportation readily available to nearby toilet facilities.
Source: OSHA 29 CFR 1926.51, Sanitation (construction). Verified 2026-08-21.
The mobile crew exemption
OSHA's construction sanitation requirements do not apply to mobile crews having transportation readily available to nearby toilet facilities.
Source: OSHA 29 CFR 1926.51, Sanitation (construction). Verified 2026-08-21.
OSHA sanitation intent on job sites
OSHA requires employers to provide workers with sanitary and immediately available toilet facilities so that workers do not suffer adverse health effects from facilities that are unsanitary or unavailable when needed.
Source: OSHA 29 CFR 1926.51, Sanitation (construction). Verified 2026-08-21.
Florida unit counts for construction and remote sites
Florida Administrative Code 64E-6.0101 Table PR II requires 1 portable restroom for 1–10 people, 2 for 11–20, and 3 for 21–30, plus one additional unit for every 10 additional people or fraction thereof.
| People on site | Portable restrooms required |
|---|---|
| 1–10 | 1 |
| 11–20 | 2 |
| 21–30 | 3 |
| Each additional 10 people or fraction thereof | +1 |
Source: Florida Administrative Code 64E-6.0101: Portable Restrooms and Portable or Stationary Holding Tanks. Verified 2026-08-21.
Frequently asked questions
How many toilets does OSHA require for 30 workers?
At 30 workers, Table D-1's ratio of one toilet seat and one urinal per 40 workers gives one seat and one urinal. Florida Table PR II requires 3 portable restrooms for 21 to 30 people, and on a Florida site the stricter state figure governs.
Does OSHA require hand washing on construction sites?
OSHA's stated intent is that workers have sanitary and immediately available facilities. Florida adds a specific ratio on top: one hand wash facility per ten portable restrooms at special events and at remote locations where food is served.
Is the general contractor or the subcontractor responsible for job site toilets?
OSHA places the duty on the employer to provide facilities for its own workers. The general contractor usually supplies site-wide facilities under the prime contract, but that is a contractual allocation and does not remove a subcontractor's own duty if the provided facilities are not adequate.
Does the mobile crew exemption cover a paving crew?
It can, if the crew has transportation readily available and nearby facilities genuinely exist. It does not cover a crew working a fixed location, and it does not cover a crew whose nearest facility is impractically far.
Do OSHA rules apply to residential construction?
Yes. 29 CFR Part 1926 covers construction work generally, including residential construction, and the sanitation requirements in 1926.51 apply to employees on those sites.
This guide is a plain-English summary of published regulations, not legal advice. Where your situation is unusual, confirm with your county health department or call (407) 537-0536 before you commit to an order.
Other Florida guides
- How Many Porta Potties Do I Need? Florida Requirements by Crew Size and Attendance
- Florida Portable Restroom Law: The Complete 2026 Guide to Rule 64E-6.0101
- ADA Porta Potty Requirements: How Many Accessible Units You Actually Need
- How Often Should a Porta Potty Be Serviced? Florida Minimums and Real Capacity
- What Can and Cannot Go in a Porta Potty (and Why the Rule Is Not Negotiable)
- Porta Potty Sizes and Types: What Each One Is For and What It Needs
- Do I Need a Permit for a Porta Potty in Florida?
- Porta Potty vs Restroom Trailer: Which One Does Your Florida Event Need?
- Porta Potty Rental for a Wedding: How Many, Which Type, and What It Costs
- Hurricane Season Sanitation Planning for Florida Job Sites and Properties
Apply these rules automatically with the Florida unit calculator