Standard units for a single-location shoot
A small crew in one place for a day or a few days is well served by a handful of standard units placed where the crew actually spends time. This is the simplest booking and the easiest to adjust.
Serving New York County
Portable Toilet Rentals for Film and TV Shoots in New York
Restroom units for location shoots, studio lots and commercial sets across the five boroughs and nearby New Jersey.
- Portable restroom rental
- Connected to an independent local provider
- Event, construction and festival ready
Get a fast quote
Fastest: call (888) 351-0294. Or send this and we call you back.
Film Shoots
Film and TV Shoot Rentals: what it covers
Quick answer
Film, TV and commercial shoots in New York need restroom units that fit a moving location, a crowded call sheet and often a tight street. New York Porta Potty Rental connects production teams with independent local providers across the five boroughs and nearby New Jersey, who deliver, service and remove the units as the schedule allows.
A film crew is a small town that appears on a block for a day and disappears the next. It needs power, parking, food and, before any of that is solved, somewhere for a few dozen people to wash their hands and use a toilet without walking half a mile. In New York, where an average of 8,023 films, TV series, commercials and theater shows were reported each year from 2012 to 2019, that problem comes up constantly.
New York Porta Potty Rental is a call line that connects production managers, location managers and coordinators with an independent local portable-sanitation provider. The provider delivers the units, services them while the shoot runs and takes them away afterward. We do not run the units ourselves and we do not issue permits.
What makes a shoot different from an event or a construction job is the schedule. Crew call times, a move from one location to the next and a wrap that may come hours early or late all change what a provider needs to know. Give them the real shape of the day when you call, not the tidy version.
- Service area
- New York & New York County
- Availability
- Call to reach a local provider
- Phone
- (888) 351-0294
Why is film work in New York a particular kind of sanitation job?
Because the city is where production happens on the street. An average of 8,023 films, TV series, commercials and theater shows a year were reported for 2012 to 2019, and studios such as Kaufman Astoria Studios in Astoria and Silvercup Studios in Long Island City anchor part of it. A crew often lands where there is no restroom to use.
That is a MOME figure as reported, and it counts shows of all kinds, from big films to commercials and stage productions, so it is a rough sense of scale and not a count of location shoots.
Queens carries a long film history, with Kaufman Astoria Studios in Astoria and Silvercup Studios in Long Island City. For the neighborhoods themselves, see Astoria and Long Island City.
Parks and waterfronts are common locations because they give a production open space and a view. They are also places with no spare buildings, and a park, a pier or a waterfront lot may have its own rules about what can be placed there. Check with the property owner or the relevant agency before you book.
What should a production tell the provider on the first call?
State the dates, the call times, the number of cast and crew, the location type, the street or lot the truck would use, whether the shoot moves and whether food is served. With those facts a provider can say what it can offer and what it needs to know next.
Location managers know the details, but the person making the call often does not. Gather the crew number and the call sheet before you ring, along with a rough idea of where the crew will congregate. People stand near the catering table, the monitors and the trailers, and a toilet that is in the wrong corner may as well not be there.
If you do not yet know the exact number of people, say so and give a range. A provider can plan around an honest range better than around a single hopeful number.
Say plainly if the shoot will happen at night, in a park after hours or on a residential block. The provider will think through delivery, service and noise differently in each case.
- Dates, call times and wrap expectations
- Cast and crew numbers, with the real peak
- Location type and how a vehicle reaches it
- Whether the location moves during the run
- Food service and hand-washing needs
- Any accessibility needs
- A named contact on site
Do film shoots need accessible units and hand-wash stations?
Many productions plan for both. An accessible unit serves cast or crew who need one, and a hand-wash station belongs wherever food is prepared or served. This page does not state a legal requirement for any particular shoot; ask the location owner, the permit office and the provider what applies to yours.
The sourced rules we can quote apply to events and construction rather than shoots. Where a shoot is on city land, the permit conversation is with the city, and where it is on private property it is with the owner. The provider's job is to deliver and service units, not to decide what your permit demands.
A hand-wash station is useful on any set with craft services or a catered lunch, because it gives the crew somewhere to wash that is not the same sink as the coffee urn. For larger productions, ask about extra stations placed beside the units.
What if the shoot moves, runs long or wraps early?
Call the provider as soon as you know. Units can be added, relocated or collected, but only if the provider has units free and can reach the new spot. The earlier the call, the more options there are, and no delivery or pickup time can be promised.
Productions change. A weather day pushes an exterior scene by a week, or a location falls through and the crew moves to a different borough. Because the provider is independent and local, it may be a different provider in a different part of the metro that answers for the new location.
Treat the unit like any rented equipment: tell the provider what changed, in plain words, and wait for confirmation before assuming the arrangement still holds. Do not try to shift a unit across a lot yourself, even a short distance.
Warning signs
Signs you need film and tv shoot rentals
Do not move, open or try to empty a rented unit yourself, and do not park a production vehicle where it blocks the provider's way to the units. Call the provider for any servicing or relocation.
- The call sheet puts a few dozen people on one block, and the nearest public restroom is a long walk or shuts at a set hour
- A location in a park, on a pier or in an empty lot has no building to borrow a restroom from
- The shoot spans several days and the crew has been asking where to go since the second morning
- Catering or craft services are on site, so a hand-wash station belongs beside the toilets
- A principal cast member or crew member needs an accessible unit and the location has no accessible restroom
- The production moves from one location to another during the week and the sanitation plan has to move with it
- A neighbor, building manager or property owner has already asked what you plan to do about restrooms
- A large night shoot or exterior scene is booked and everyone will be on their feet outdoors for hours
Our process
How our film and tv shoot rentals visit works
Tell the provider the real shape of the shoot
Share the number of cast and crew expected, the dates and call times, whether the location moves and whether it is a single day or a run. The provider cannot plan around a crew size you have not mentioned.
Describe the location, including the street
Say whether it is a studio lot, a park, a waterfront, a rooftop approach or a residential street, and tell the provider about curbside rules, closures and where the production's own trucks will stand. The delivery vehicle has to reach a spot that works for the crew too.
Choose the mix of units
Standard units, an accessible unit and a hand-wash station are the usual starting set. A longer or larger production may ask about a restroom trailer, subject to the provider having one and your site access allowing it.
Agree on service during the shoot
For a multi-day run, the provider sets how often the units are serviced and whether a visit can be timed around your schedule. Ask for the answer to be given in terms you can plan on, not as a hope.
Wrap, move or extend
When the shoot wraps, call the provider to collect the units. If the schedule slips or the location changes, call again as early as you can, since a provider can only confirm what it has free.
Options
Types and options for film and tv shoot rentals
Accessible units and hand-wash stations for larger sets
Productions with a bigger cast, extras or a catered unit usually add an accessible unit and a hand-wash station. See ADA accessible units and hand-wash stations for what each involves.
Restroom trailers for high-profile or long runs
A trailer with flushing toilets suits a long location shoot or a large day with many principals. Whether one is available, and whether it fits the spot, depends on the provider and on how a truck can get in. Read about restroom trailers before you call.
Job stories
Typical jobs for film and tv shoot rentals
A film crew needs toilets beside a park location in Astoria
- What homeowners notice
- A location manager has a crew parked for several days near a park and needs somewhere for them to go that does not eat up the shooting space.
- What we do
- The provider asks about crew size, days and how trucks reach the spot, then suggests units set where they are out of frame and a hand-wash station beside them, with servicing timed around the shoot.
- What to expect
- The crew has units that stay out of the shot, and the manager has a written servicing plan to hand to the production office.
Cost
How much does film and tv shoot rentals cost in New York?
No dollar figure is printed on this page. The numbers that exist for the region come from provider listings and aggregator summaries and none of them describe a film shoot, so the honest answer is a list of what moves the price.
| Job | Typical range | What it includes |
|---|---|---|
| Number of units and unit types | Rises with crew size and options | A standard, an accessible unit and a hand-wash station are separate lines. |
| Length of the shoot | Day, multi-day or weekly | Regional listings price by the week and by event, so a short shoot may be priced like an event and a long one like a short rental. |
| Servicing during the shoot | More visits, higher charge | A large crew over several days needs service built in; a one-day shoot may not. |
| Delivery and pickup at a street location | Varies with access | Listings show a delivery charge; a closed block, a bridge crossing or a gated lot can change what the provider quotes. |
| Rush or schedule changes | Subject to availability | Late changes depend on what the provider has free and are not promised. |
The provider confirms the price and the terms before any unit is delivered. For how event-style pricing is put together, see the cost guide.
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If it's an emergency, call now. For non-urgent film and tv shoot rentals, send the form and we'll call you back.
New York County
Why film and tv shoot rentals is different in New York Metro
Shoots in New York often happen on streets that other people are using. A unit placed on a sidewalk may block a doorway, a curb cut or a loading zone, so the spot has to be agreed with whoever controls the property or the curb. The provider can advise on placement but cannot override a permit or a neighbor.
Queens carries a lot of production activity, with Kaufman Astoria Studios in Astoria and Silvercup Studios in Long Island City. A job in either neighborhood is a short trip for a provider in the area, but we cannot name which provider serves which block until you call.
Weather changes plans. Winter shoots may need a plan for snow and cold, and summer exterior days put crews in the heat. See cold-weather rentals and summer heat rentals for those seasons.
Related
Related services
ADA Accessible Portable Toilets
Larger accessible portable units for parades, fairs and park events across the five boroughs and nearby New Jersey, from independent local providers.
Hand-Wash Stations
Portable sinks for food events, markets and job sites in the five boroughs and nearby New Jersey, paired with toilets by an independent provider.
Delivery and Pickup
How units reach a New York or New Jersey site, what the provider needs from you and why no arrival time is promised.
Where we work
Film and TV Shoot Rentals across New York County
- Film Shoots in Lower Manhattan, Tribeca and Chinatown
- Film Shoots in Lower East Side and East Village
- Film Shoots in Greenwich Village and Union Square
- Film Shoots in Midtown Manhattan
- Film Shoots in Upper West Side
- Film Shoots in Upper East Side
- Film Shoots in Harlem
- Film Shoots in Washington Heights and Inwood
- Film Shoots in Park Slope and Prospect Heights
- Film Shoots in Crown Heights
- Film Shoots in Williamsburg and Greenpoint
- Film Shoots in Bushwick and Bedford-Stuyvesant
- Film Shoots in Sunset Park
- Film Shoots in Coney Island and Brighton Beach
- Film Shoots in Long Island City
- Film Shoots in Astoria
- Film Shoots in Flushing
- Film Shoots in Corona and Flushing Meadows
- Film Shoots in Jackson Heights and Elmhurst
- Film Shoots in Staten Island North Shore
- Film Shoots in Stapleton and Fort Wadsworth
- Film Shoots in South Bronx
- Film Shoots in Jersey City
- Film Shoots in Hoboken
- Film Shoots in Bayonne
- Film Shoots in Newark
- Film Shoots in East Rutherford
- Film Shoots in Harrison
Not sure if you're covered? Check your ZIP code.
FAQ
Film and TV Shoot Rentals FAQs
Can a unit be placed on a public street for a shoot?
That depends on your permit and on the people who control the curb. The provider can tell you whether a unit physically fits and how a truck would reach it, but the permission comes from the city or the property owner, not from this line.
How many units does a film crew need?
This page does not give a ratio, because no sourced New York rule sets one for shoots. Tell the provider your cast and crew numbers and the hours people will be on location, and ask what they recommend for your situation.
Can I book a unit for a single shoot day?
Yes, you can ask for a day or a short run, and a provider will quote it as it would an event. Whether units are free on your date depends on the provider, so call early and keep your dates as flexible as you can.
Can the provider deliver at night or before the crew call?
Some providers may be able to work around your call time, and some may not. No delivery or pickup time is promised here. Ask the provider directly and get the answer confirmed before you build your schedule around it.
What if the shoot is in New Jersey?
The area covered by this line includes Jersey City, Hoboken, Bayonne, Newark, East Rutherford and Harrison. Tell the provider the town. See Jersey City and Hoboken for what we can say about those places.
Do we need an accessible unit for a small crew?
It depends on who is on set and what your permit or location owner asks for. If you have cast or crew who need one, say so on the first call. Read about ADA accessible units to see what is involved.