Missouri
"Potty Parity" Haunts New Area Arena
By Bob Hudson
May 6, 2008 - 2:24:06 PM

If you’re a man, you’ve heard that there are never enough bathrooms to handle the women at any given public event. Well, when it came to designing the new      Chaifetz Arena, the architects say it was their intention to solve this mysterious problem. They followed the plumbing code and threw in extra toilets for good measure.   They even installed bonus urinals. Yet, despite these good intentions, the new arena at St. Louis University may still be in violation of state law. While a venue like Busch stadium saw fights break out over the touchy issue of having too few potty spots, the reverse may be true at Chaifetz. The arena may too many. Yes, too many toilets by law. You see, St. Louis' plumbing code calls for more toilets for women, but a 1995 Missouri law says the numbers has to be even-steven. So, the “potty parity” problem may have been unavoidable, given the conflict between St. Louis' plumbing code and the state law.

At Chaifetz, the final tally is 51 more urinals and toilets for men than required by code, and 53 more for women than required. The intent of Missouri's "potty parity" law was to keep women from having to   wait in longer lines than men. The law says that at places "for public amusement," such as auditoriums and sports arenas, "there shall be provided an equal number of water closets for women as there are the number of water closets and urinals provided for men."

Several states and cities have laws and ordinances requiring potty parity.   Illinois has the "Equitable Restrooms Act" that requires the number of fixtures for men and women be calculated based on a venue's maximum occupancy. Some laws differ in their definitions of parity, says Robert Brubaker of the American Restroom Association in Baltimore. Take New York City, for example. The big apple requires twice as many places for women to relieve themselves in stadiums, theaters and other venues. Now, THAT’s civilized!