States set minimum commercial restroom requirements that businesses must follow.
States set minimum commercial restroom requirements that bars, restaurants, retail outlets and other follow to receive passing inspection marks. The regulations deal primarily with the sanitary conditions of the facilities. The Americans with Disabilities Act provides another set of regulations that governs installation height requirements and accessibility issues. Individual businesses sometimes supplement the already existing commercial restroom requirements by addressing the placement of posters and ads.
Walls and Doors
An example of state-enforced rules is the state of North Dakota, which determines that the setup of a commercial restroom must feature walls and ceilings made of easy-to-clean materials. It requires business owners to use materials such as concrete, ceramic tiles, stainless steel or sealed and finished pumice stone. Rules also govern the construction of the walls and the use of appropriate doors. The restroom wall must completely enclose a commercial restroom. Venue owners need to install solid and self-closing doors.
Toilet Choice
North Dakota also stipulates that businesses must outfit men’s restrooms with urinals as well as toilets. In fact, the number of urinals cannot exceed 50 percent of the number of available toilets. If a restaurant or bar seats in excess of 50 patrons, the owner has to install additional toilets. The kinds of toilets that venue owners may choose only extend to models that feature open front seats and have an extended bowl.
Sanitary Requirements
Mechanical ventilation ensures good air quality in enclosed commercial restrooms. North Dakota determines that each lavatory must contain a waste basket. When outfitting a women’s restroom, businesses must add at least one covered waste bin. To facilitate individual sanitary practices, owners must also stock the restrooms with toilet paper, hand soap and disposable hand towels, which can be omitted if the business owner opts for an automatic hand-dryer instead. Finally, business owners must make available hand sinks with hot and cold water.
ADA Regulations
Each public venue the regulations that the Americans with Disabilities Act sets forth to make commercial restrooms accessible to handicapped patrons. These rules contain specific height, width and depth requirements for the installation of toilets, sinks and other features inside a restroom. For example, to install a toilet in keeping with the ADA requirements, business owners must ensure that it measures 17 to 19 inches in height, including the toilet seat top.
Posters
Individual businesses can set up their own rules with respect to commercial posters and visual arts in their bathrooms. A good example is Diablo Valley College, which sets forth its requirements for any form of advertisement within its restrooms. Parties interested in placing advertising posters in these facilities must make formal requests to the Business Services Office, which will consider each application individually.
Tags: commercial restroom, businesses must, business owners, commercial restroom requirements, must follow