NYC Spends $1 Million Per Toilet While Starving For Bathrooms
KEY POINTS
- â˘Mayor Zohran Mamdani launched a pilot to add 20-30 self-cleaning public toilets by summer 2026 in New York City.
- â˘The cost of NYC Parks public bathrooms tripled from $1.3 million in 2011 to $3.6 million in 2019 mainly due to permits and union labor.
- â˘Council Member Sandy Nurse pushed legislation to double NYC's public toilets by 2035 amid calls to streamline red tape and ease regulations.
In a city where potholes get fixed faster than bladder relief, Mayor Zohran Mamdani bravely vows to install 20-30 shiny, automatic, self-cleaning toilets by summer 2026âif he can survive bureaucratic hell. New Yorkers currently face 1,000 public toilets for over 8 million residents and 65 million tourists, ranking 93rd among top US cities. Last yearâs infamous 'Portland Loo' toilets ran nearly $1 million each, with $185,000 for the throne and the rest for permits, hookups, and countless government nodsâthe NYC equivalent of gold-plated urinals. Meanwhile, Starbucks revoked its 'free pee pass' forcing desperate citizens into an internet-of-bathroom hunt. Council Member Sandy Nurse and advocate Leah Goodridge, who needs frequent bathroom breaks due to uterine fibroids, plead for regulatory noose loosening. Elsewhere, San Diego and San Francisco build loos and make headlines by NOT spending golf course money on toilets, with San Francisco famously hitting a public outrage crescendo over a $1.7 million, 150 sq ft throne roomâlater trimmed to $262,000 thanks to a generous restroom donor and to sanity. If only New York could modularize its red tape as efficiently as its toilets.
Share the Story
NYCâs public toilet saga: $1 million toilets, Starbucks locks doors, and a mayor fighting bureaucratic diarrhea. At least itâs cleaner than the reviews.
Spending seven figures per toilet in NYC makes you wonder if plumbing has NFT editions or comes with a Broadway musical.
Why does a bathroom cost more than a car? New York City sneaks in a backstage union parade and a starring cast of permits.
Source: Businessinsider | Published: 2/27/2026 | Author: Eliza Relman
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