Maryland and DC Porta Potty Requirements

This market is two sanitation stacks, not one. Federal OSHA covers private construction in the District. Maryland MOSH adopts that federal construction standard and adds state environmental rules for chemical toilets in Prince George's County and Montgomery County. This is planning guidance, not legal advice. Read the current text on the linked .gov pages.

Quick comparison

Maryland: MOSH plus COMAR chemical toilets

MOSH adopts federal OSHA construction standards (29 CFR 1926). Construction sanitation is not on Maryland’s unique-standards list, so Table D-1 is still the worker-count floor. Maryland adds a separate environmental rule for the unit itself. Slide construction or festival counts on the Maryland porta potty calculator.

COMAR 26.04.02.08 is the Maryland-specific layer. Chemical toilets still have to be impervious, vented above the roof line, and chemically charged. The current rule also says you may not keep a portable unit in place more than 3 days in a 60-day period without authorization from the Approving Authority - typically the local health department. A monthly construction stop needs that authorization, not a silent drop.

• Enforceable maintenance agreement with a qualified service company
• Pump-outs by a licensed septage hauler so the unit does not overflow or go unsanitary
• Handwashing or sanitization stations as the Approving Authority requires
• Contents removed and disposed under COMAR 26.04.02.09 - not dumped

Outdoor musical festivals are a different stack. COMAR 10.16.05.05 requires a local health permit with one designated male toilet and one designated female toilet per 200 spectators, matching hand-wash, and a daily pump-out contract if the facilities are portable.

Washington DC: federal OSHA, then placement permits

The District is not an OSHA State Plan for private employers. Federal OSHA covers DC construction sanitation from the Baltimore-Washington area office, so Table D-1 and the sanitary-condition interpretations apply. The extra DC layer is where the unit sits. Slide crew size on the DC porta potty calculator.

• Private property: GC, landlord, and building rules - not a special “porta potty permit”
• Sidewalk, curb, alley, or other public space: a DDOT public space permit through TOPS
• National Mall and NPS parkland: a National Mall special event permit; portable restrooms are a line item on the application

More on timed deliveries and pad maps: porta potty permits in Washington DC.

What to order for a local job

1. Maryland and DC construction: start from Table D-1, then use 1-per-10 so weekly service holds
2. Maryland festivals: use the health-permit ratio and a daily service contract, not the construction table
3. DC public space or Mall: get the placement permit before the truck rolls
4. Everywhere: a locked or fouled unit does not count as provided