New Orleans Portable Toilet Rental

Hurricane season shapes every rental

If your site is in New Orleans between June and November, you plan around a storm. A portable toilet is light, and it will not stay where you put it in a tropical storm. Ask how the provider secures units, and what happens when a storm threatens: do they pull them, and who pays to bring them back?

After a storm the demand goes the other way. Roofers and restoration crews all need restrooms at once, and units run short. If you run a repair business, book your standing rental before the season, not after the wind.

The heat matters, too. From May through September a closed plastic box in full sun is hard on anyone who uses it. Ask for ventilation and a service schedule that fits the weather. On a busy site, twice a week is a reasonable ask even when the rental is quoted weekly.

Crews on the levees and the pumping stations are a steady part of the local work, and they are often on remote, muddy sites. Describe the access road, because a pump truck is heavy and does badly on soft shoulders.

Parades, festivals and the long calendar

New Orleans finds a reason to put people in the street most weekends. Mardi Gras parades, the jazz festival at the fairgrounds, a summer music festival, second lines, and neighborhood fairs all depend on temporary restrooms. Along a parade route the city and the organizer usually control where equipment can go, so start by asking them what is required.

For a route event, restroom trailers or banks of units placed at a few points are normal. The quote should state who services them during the event, because a crowd of thousands will overwhelm standard units in hours. Ask about a night-time service pass and about lighting.

Handwash stations get used more than you expect in this humidity. Include them.

The Superdome and the arena next to it hold football games, big concerts, and the occasional national event. Large venues like these usually run their own restroom plans, but the lots and streets around them draw tailgate parties and vendor setups, and those do rent units from outside providers. Ask the venue what is allowed before you order.

Neighborhood festivals in Mid-City and the Bywater run small, with a few units and a handwash station behind a stage. These are among the easiest jobs for a provider, but delivery can be hard, because streets are closed. Be specific about where the truck can park.

Soft ground and tight streets

The French Quarter and the Marigny have narrow streets and almost no off-street space, and the Warehouse District is not much better. A service truck has to reach the unit, and in some blocks that means timing deliveries around loading windows and street closures. Say so when you call.

Much of the city sits low, with a high water table. After a hard rain, a site in Mid-City or the Lower Ninth Ward can sit in standing water for a day or two. Put units on the highest, firmest ground the site has, on timber or gravel if you can. Providers will tell you that a unit placed in a low corner is the one that tips.

Contractors remodeling a hotel or restaurant in the Quarter often put units out back for the crew rather than use the building's own. Check with the property manager and the city, because a unit on a historic block can bring design review, or at least a conversation.

A site in New Orleans that has lost power after a storm still needs somewhere to wash, so ask for a self-contained handwash station that works without hookups. During Carnival, delivery windows shrink, because many streets close by midday on parade days.

Across the lake and up the river

Slidell sits across Lake Pontchartrain, and work there is a different trip from a downtown route. Some New Orleans providers cover the Northshore with a surcharge, others have a yard there. Jefferson Parish, Algiers across the river, and the industrial sites along the river toward the port all have their own routes. Ask where the provider's trucks run and how often.

The port and the petrochemical plants upriver keep long-term construction and maintenance crews, and site access is strict. These jobs often want monthly rental with scheduled service and a safety briefing. Make sure the provider can meet the site's paperwork requirements before the first delivery.

One last route point: the bridges. The Crescent City Connection links downtown to Algiers and the West Bank, and a delivery during rush hour can take far longer than the map suggests. Ask for a morning window and plan the pickup the same way.

The call itself

Start with the address and the dates, then how many people and whether the ground is paved. Say if the site is on a parade route, behind a street closure, or under an event permit. If you need ADA units, ask for them by name.

On a jobsite, give the busiest-day headcount and ask for weekly service with a plan to add visits in the hot months.

A unit still standing the morning after a storm is worth more than a lower rate on one that is not.

Looking for a different city? Here are some nearby.

Other New Orleans equipment topics.