New York City contains approximately 1,100 publicly managed toilets, as well as an unknown number of privately owned toilets. As of 2017, there were around 3.5 million housing units in New York City (many with toilets), while private toilets also exist in offices and other non-residential establishments. Compared to other big cities, public bathrooms in New York City are rare, as the 1,100 public restrooms result in a rate of 16 per 100,000 residents. Most public restrooms are located in parks; comparatively few other public spaces, including New York City Subway stations, have public restrooms. There have been several attempts to install pay toilets in New York City since the 1990s, and five pay toilets have been installed as part of a program launched in 2006. The cost to build public toilets varies widely, but they averaged $3.6 million as of 2019. During the mid-19th century, prior to the advent of indoor plumbing and flush toilets, buildings and homes used outhouses and chamber pots as toilets. Proper plumbing was only mandated under the New York State Tenement House Act of 1901.
Types Flush toilets in New York City private residences are commonplace, though urinals are also common throughout New York City bathrooms, typically in the modern design. There are a number of bars in New York City, including McSorley's Old Ale House, that feature large vintage urinals. The oldest urinal in the city is allegedly located at the Old Town Bar in the Flatiron District.
History
As flush toilets were rarely used in Europe before the 19th century, New Amsterdam's first settlers instead brought with them the outhouse custom. During the mid-19th century, prior to the advent of indoor plumbing and flush toilets, buildings and homes were equipped with outhouses and chamber pots. In addition, both poor and rich residents used privy vaults. In the late 19th century, many tenements in New York City, particularly on the Lower East Side, lacked toilets or running water. Proper plumbing was only mandated by the New York State Tenement House Act of 1901. At that point, New York City's tenements had more than 9,000 privy vaults, euphemistically referred to as "school sinks", in their courtyards. The school sinks were only flushed into the city's primitive sewerage system occasionally and were major vectors for diseases. The 1901 law banned these school sinks and required landlords to replace them with toilets. Afterward, many landlords began installing toilets and bathtubs for their tenants. By 1914, there were only 375 remaining school sinks. The average New York City resident did not have indoor toilets until the late 19th century. Advancements in plumbing technology allowed for the affordability and installation of toilets in middle-class homes. As part of the 1968 Building Code of the City of New York, buildings were required to have at least one bathroom per sex per 100 people. This was changed to one bathroom per sex per 150 people in the 2008 Building Code. In 2012, Mayor Michael Bloomberg signed legislation that permitted small restaurants with a capacity of up to 30 people to provide one restroom, rather than the two restrooms required in most establishments. The administration of Mayor Eric Adams modified the city's building code in 2022 so that restaurants were no longer obligated to open their restrooms to the general public.
Public access
Finding a public bathroom in New York City is notoriously difficult. A report issued by the New York City Comptroller's Office in 2019 noted that, of the 100 largest cities in the United States, New York ranked 93rd in the number of comfort stations per 100,000 residents. This equated to only 16 public restrooms per 100,000 residents, compared to 210 in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and 140 in Jacksonville, Florida. The dearth of public toilets has prompted residents to create maps of public restrooms in New York City. Clyde Haberman wrote for The New York Times in 2000: "The fact remains that this is one of the few great world cities that make no attempt to help people cope with so basic a need, a situation that constantly amazes residents and visitors alike." According to Aaron Elstein of Crain's New York, the shortage of public restrooms dates to the 1975 New York City fiscal crisis, when the city government attempted to save money by shutting them down. Homeless New Yorkers reported that the COVID-19 pandemic made it even more difficult to find bathrooms. As of 2022, the New York City Subway has 472 stations, 69 of which have public bathrooms. Several homeless people sued the New York City government and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) in 1990, claiming that the city and MTA created a "public nuisance" by failing to provide public toilets. A report by the Legal Action Center for the Homeless, who represented the plaintiffs, noted that of 526 public comfort stations surveyed in parks, almost three-quarters were "either closed, filthy, foul-smelling or without toilet paper and soap." In 2010, there were 133 open restrooms in 81 of the system's 468 stations. According to Bloomberg News, there are about 1,103 public bathrooms in New York City, while The New York Times cites the city as having 1,160 public restrooms. Most are in parks, with municipal facilities such as libraries and swimming pools also being common locations. The public bathrooms in Bryant Park, located between 40th and 42nd streets in Manhattan, are noted for their particular beauty and architectural significance. There have also been temporary public bathrooms. For example, toilet paper brand Charmin sponsored a set of public restrooms at 1540 Broadway in Times Square during 2006 and 2007; these toilets were used more than 500,000 times in 2006 alone.
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