Portable restroom contractor Dale Dolata, from Adams, Wis., just wrote me a note to say that some property owners in his county now have to obtain a permit to keep a portable restroom. The new requirement impacts mainly vacation or hunting retreats where a portable restroom is used rather than installing a septic system for occasional use. The permit is required anytime a unit will be placed for 30 days or more.
As Dolata reports, the property owner must file a four-page application with a plat map showing where the unit will be placed and a signed certificate promising to have the unit serviced. The annual permit costs $25. Submitting the paperwork comes with a one-time $30 fee. The rule is not enforced for construction site or special event placements.
“Lots of paperwork. Probably less goes on inside the toilet,’’ Dolata writes. “We all know government units are in need of cash. Adams County, Wisconsin, has come up with their own fundraiser.’’
Dolata sells a few older units to folks in his area, then generates a little income servicing the units on an as-needed basis. He wonders if these fees are a coming trend. I wonder, too. Are counties or towns in your service territories charging permit fees to discourage the use of portable restrooms at summer cottages or hunting shacks?
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