Street and closure units
Set on a closed street for a few hours or a day, with the closure permit in hand and the units on the layout map.
Serving Davidson County
Special Event Portable Toilets in Nashville, TN
Portable toilets for Metro Nashville events, planned for the special event permit and sized from the expected crowd and the length of the event.
- Standard units, ADA units and handwash stations
- Construction sites, festivals and private events
- Delivery, servicing and pickup scheduled around your dates
Get a fast quote
Fastest: call (888) 351-0294. Or send this and we call you back.
Event Units
Special Event Portable Toilets: what it covers
Quick answer
Metro's permit page says a special event permit is generally required for an event with street closures, sales, large tents or portable toilets for public use, including festivals and concerts. The Office of Film and Special Events handles permitting for events in Davidson County. The units are part of the event's layout, and the count is set from the expected crowd and the length of the event.
A public event in Metro Nashville is an event on public ground or a closed street, and the permit is the document that lets it happen. Metro's page on film and special events says a permit is generally required for an event with street closures, sales, large tents or portable toilets for public use, which covers most festivals and concerts.
The Office of Film and Special Events handles permitting for events in Davidson County. The office's current requirements should be confirmed before the plan is final, because the forms and the timing can change, and this page does not restate the deadlines.
Units are sized to the crowd the event expects. Metro does not publish a units-per-attendee figure in the sources this page relies on, so the operator sets the count from headcount, event length and whether alcohol is served, and records the reasoning.
- Service area
- Nashville & Davidson County
- Availability
- Call to reach a local provider
- Phone
- (888) 351-0294
Warning signs
Signs you need special event portable toilets
Keep the units off the emergency route and clear of stewards' posts. Light the clusters after dark and check that no unit blocks a gate or a hydrant that emergency vehicles need.
- A downtown street festival with a closure and no restroom plan filed
- A block party with sales and large tents but no permit yet
- A concert on a Metro park lawn with a crowd that will stay all evening
- A community event with food and beer and a headcount that has grown since last year
- A parade route that passes several bars and no public restroom
Our process
How our special event portable toilets visit works
Check the permit requirement
Confirm whether the event has a street closure, sales, large tents or portable toilets for public use, which together make the special event permit generally required.
Set the expected headcount and length
Estimate the peak crowd, the hours and whether food, drink or alcohol will be served. Those facts set the count with the provider.
Place the units on the layout map
Show each unit on the event layout map, clear of the emergency route and the entrances, and mark the accessible units.
Book delivery and servicing
Schedule delivery before the first day and servicing for the length of the event, with a pickup set for the day after the last use.
Walk the site before opening
Check each unit, the access and the signs before the gates open, and note where extra servicing is needed as the crowd builds.
When does a Nashville event need the special event permit?
Metro says a permit is generally required for an event with street closures, sales, large tents or portable toilets for public use, including festivals and concerts.
The triggers are listed on Metro's page, and any one of them can be enough. An event with portable toilets for public use needs the permit even when it has no closure, so the restroom plan can bring the permit requirement with it.
Who issues the permit?
The Office of Film and Special Events handles permitting for events in Davidson County. Parks land and street closures can also involve other Metro offices for their own part of the event.
The office's current requirements should be confirmed before the plan is final. An event that spans a park and a street may need the office's approval plus the park's own permission for the lawn.
How is the count set for a Metro event?
The operator sets the count from the expected headcount, the event length and whether alcohol is served. Metro's sources in this page do not publish a units-per-attendee figure.
A festival with alcohol and a full day needs more units and more servicing than a short evening concert without it. The reasoning is written into the plan so the reviewer can see how the number was reached.
Where do the units go on the event site?
Away from the entrances and the emergency route, in clusters that visitors reach from the main path, with the accessible unit placed where the route is firm.
A cluster at the far end of a lawn draws the crowd across grass that was not built for it, so placement follows the flow of the event. The layout map should show the clusters, the path to each and the accessible units.
What happens if the event grows on the day?
An event that grows beyond its plan is handled by adding units or a servicing visit, and the change is reported to the event team and, where it affects the layout the office approved, to the office.
A larger crowd than expected is common at a free event with good weather. The organizer should have a standby call-out with the provider, and the provider should say how quickly an extra unit can be delivered on the day.
A change that moves units onto a new space needs the permit for that space. A cluster that is moved beyond the approved layout should be checked against the permit before it is placed.
Options
Types and options for special event portable toilets
Park and lawn units
Set on a Metro park lawn with the park's own permission, on firm ground, with a route for the service vehicle.
Large-tent event units
Placed beside large tents with the count set for the tent's crowd and the length of the event.
Davidson County
Why special event portable toilets is different in Greater Nashville
Downtown's convention and stadium streets are where most of the city's large event crowds gather, and the closure plan sets where units can stand.
East Nashville's festivals and street events are dense and close to the river, so the clusters are set back from the water.
Metro parks host gatherings across the county, and the park's own permission governs the lawn beneath the units.
Skip the guesswork. Call for a straight answer.
Tell us what's happening and we'll tell you honestly whether it's a quick fix, and what special event portable toilets should cost.
Where we work
Special Event Portable Toilets across Davidson County
- Event Units in Downtown Nashville
- Event Units in Midtown and Music Row
- Event Units in Wedgewood-Houston
- Event Units in Belle Meade and West Meade
- Event Units in East Nashville
- Event Units in Whites Creek and Bordeaux
- Event Units in Germantown and North Nashville
- Event Units in Sylvan Park and Hillsboro Village
- Event Units in South Nashville and Berry Hill
- Event Units in Southeast Nashville
- Event Units in Vanderbilt and West End
- Event Units in Green Hills and Forest Hills
- Event Units in Donelson
- Event Units in Nashville International Airport area
- Event Units in Dickerson Pike and Inglewood
- Event Units in Bellevue
- Event Units in Antioch
- Event Units in Madison
- Event Units in Brentwood
- Event Units in Hermitage
- Event Units in Old Hickory
- Event Units in Goodlettsville
- Event Units in Hendersonville
- Event Units in Joelton
- Event Units in Pegram
Not sure if you're covered? Check your ZIP code.
Related
Related services
Event Site Map and Layout
The event layout map that Metro's application asks for, with the portable toilets shown beside the tents, ramps and companion seating.
CMA Fest and Downtown Festival Restrooms
Portable toilet clusters for downtown Nashville festivals, planned for multi-day crowds around the stadium and amphitheater district.
Park Event Restrooms and Insurance
Portable restrooms for events in Metro parks, with the park application, the organizer's certificate of insurance and the lawn planned in advance.
ADA Accessible Portable Toilets
Accessible units for Nashville events, planned as a share of the portable toilets provided under Metro's event application.
Guides
Read before you book
How many portable toilets does a Nashville event need?
No Metro ratio for portable toilets at events is published in the sources this page relies on, so no single number applies to every event.
What does Metro require for event restrooms?
Metro's permit page says a special event permit is generally required for an event with street closures, sales, large tents or portable toilets for public use, including festivals and concerts.
How many accessible portable toilets does a Nashville event need?
Metro's special event application sets at least 5% of the portable toilets provided for an event as accessible, rounded up to a whole number.
How do you plan restrooms for CMA Fest in Nashville?
CMA Fest drew 95,000 fans over four days in June 2025, according to its organizer's press release, with over 300 performances.
FAQ
Special Event Portable Toilets FAQs
Do I need a permit just for portable toilets?
Metro's page says a permit is generally required for portable toilets for public use, alongside closures, sales and large tents. Confirm the requirement with the office.
Who issues the event permit?
The Office of Film and Special Events handles permitting for events in Davidson County.
How many units does an event need?
No Metro figure per attendee is published in the sources this page relies on. The operator sets the count from headcount, length and alcohol.
Who services the units during the event?
The provider does, on a schedule agreed for the length of the event.
Can units go on a closed street?
Yes, when the closure permit covers the placement and the units are on the plan.