Porta Potty Rental in Chesterfield, MO 63017

Inside a fenced Chesterfield yard, or within a closed construction site, no permit covers the unit itself. For a public gathering the governing permit is the county's, and that is the answer whether or not the city has anything to say.

The county rules reach Chesterfield. St. Louis County's nonsewered sanitation rules apply in the unincorporated county and in every municipality except those that both have a population of 75,000 or more and maintain an organized health department. Chesterfield fails both limbs, so there is no exception available and the county rules govern inside the city.

What triggers the permit. A covered gathering is an organized event open to the public, sponsored by a public or private body whether for profit or not, expecting at least 100 people at peak hour, where the plumbed toilets on site are not sufficient. Holding one without a Special Event Sanitation Permit from the county health department is unlawful. Running, cycling and motorcycling events are written out of the definition, so a Chesterfield Valley road race sits outside the permit on the face of the rule even though a soccer tournament of the same size does not.

What the application asks for. It wants the sponsor's details, the event description and location, the number and location of plumbed toilets and sinks already available, the number and location of units being brought in, the name and address of the operator supplying them, and a description of how they will be serviced and maintained. That last pair matters commercially: the supplier has to be identified in the customer's file before the application can be completed.

The county also sets the servicing standard numerically, which is rare. The tank must be serviced often enough that it never passes 35 percent of its volume, and a unit may not be used at all once the tank reaches half full. Each service recharges the tank to a six inch depth of solution, and any defective unit must be repaired or withdrawn at once. Units must sit as close as practical to the highest concentration of people and remain reachable by truck for maintenance, which is a placement rule inside a servicing section.

And the county licenses the work itself. Supplying units for a covered event requires a county license held by the provider, issued only after the county has inspected the storage and maintenance areas, and the vehicle emptying the tank needs a separate county waste transportation license covering sewage and human excrement, backed by a bond for each vehicle. Those duties fall on whoever performs the service.

The city layer is a smaller question here. Chesterfield publishes its ordinances through a code host that served nothing today, and the city's own website serves its content through scripting that returned only navigation, so no city text is quoted anywhere above. Chesterfield does publish a special activity permit for business use of public space, and a street or sidewalk placement should be raised with the city before it is booked. Your account manager can open that conversation.

Where the waste goes. The county directs providers to dispose of tank truck contents in line with the metropolitan sewer district's requirements, and Missouri treats the contents as hauled sewage with the duty on the owner or operator.

Not sure if your tournament clears the county threshold? Your account manager can check before you file.