City right-of-way permit: can we place a porta potty on the sidewalk for a renovation?

You need a right-of-way or sidewalk use permit from the city transportation or street use office, not a special event permit. Event permits cover short gatherings, while a twelve week placement for a remodel falls under construction use of the public right-of-way, the same bucket as a dumpster or a materials pile on the sidewalk.

When we did this on a narrow lot, the city wanted a few things before they approved it:

1. A simple site sketch showing the unit, the property line, and the remaining clear walking path. They care most that people can still get past, including someone in a wheelchair, so the unit usually has to sit against the curb or the planting strip side, not in the middle.
2. The dates it will be out, plus a renewal if the job runs long.
3. Sometimes proof of insurance from whoever owns the unit, so ask your rental company for a certificate early.

Call the street use desk before you apply and ask whether a right-of-way placement for a portable toilet has its own category. Some cities lump it in with dumpsters, and the clerk can tell you in two minutes. Also ask your rental company if they pull the permit themselves, since a lot of them do it regularly and know the form.

One more tip: face the door toward your house, not the street, so the crew is not stepping off the curb into traffic and the vacuum truck hose still reaches easily.