Accessible Pit Toilets at US Forest Service Facilities

Information reproduced from the USDA Accessibility Guidebook for Outdoor Recreation and Trails.

USFS Pit Toilet

Accessible pit toilets at US Forest Service (USFS) facilities must meet the requirements in the Forest Service Outdoor Recreation Accessibility Guidelines (FSORAG). The photo on the right is representative of a pit toilet.

Do not confuse pit toilets with toilet buildings. Pit toilets are only provided in low development areas where it has been determined that they are necessary for resource or environmental protection. Pit toilets are never appropriate in a Forest Service recreation site with a development scale level of 3 or higher.

Pit toilets are located in remote areas primarily for resource protection, rather than for visitor convenience and comfort. Pit toilets are primitive outhouses that may consist simply of a hole dug in the ground covered by a toilet riser. The photo above is representative. The pit toilet riser may or may not be surrounded by walls and may or may not have a roof. Pit toilets may be permanent installations or they may be moved from one location to another as the hole is filled or the area has become overused. Waste disposal in pit toilets may be directly into the ground (pit) or may include moldering or composting processes.

Each pit toilet should meet the FSORAG requirements and should be connected to the area’s other major constructed features by an outdoor recreation access route (ORAR). Connect pit toilets that are provided on trails to the area’s other major constructed features by a route that complies with the trail specifications rather than an ORAR.

The design of pit toilets varies widely depending on the setting, the amount of expected use, and the system used to manage the waste. If an accessible pit toilet has walls, a floor, a door, or a roof, these components must comply with the appropriate provisions of ABAAS as follows.

If the pit toilet has a riser and toilet seat, ensure that the total height of that seat and the riser it rests on is 17 to 19 inches (430 to 485 millimeters) above the ground or floor. The graphic below is representative.

Accessible Toilet Seat Height

If the pit toilet has lightweight privacy screens or has no walls, ensure that the riser has vertical or nearly vertical sides and a flat area on each side of the seat that is about 3 inches (75 millimeters) wide.

For pit toilets with lightweight privacy screens or no walls, provide a clear floor or ground space that is at least 60 inches (1,525 millimeters) wide and 56 inches (1,420 millimeters) deep. This space is needed for transfer from/to a wheelchair and the toilet seat. The graphic below is representative of this wheelchair transfer clearance.

Wheelchair Transfer Space at a Toilet Installation

Of the required width of clear floor space, ensure that only 16 to 18 inches (405 to 455 millimeters) is on one side of the centerline of the riser; the rest must be on the other side. The depth of the clear space is measured from the back of the riser and extends in front of the riser. See the graphic below. If these clear space requirements cannot be met due to a condition for an exemption, then the clear space must meet the technical requirements to the extent practicable.

Clear Space at Pit Toilet

If there are sturdy walls around the pit toilet riser, standard riser dimensions, placement, and grab bars are required as shown in ABAAS, sections 603, 604, and 609. For example, as required in ABAAS, section 604.5, grab bars for toilets must be installed in a horizontal position, 33 to 36 inches (840 to 915 millimeters) above the finished floor, measured to the top of the gripping surface.

The grab bar beside the riser should be at least 42 inches (1,065 millimeters) long, located no more than 12 inches (305 millimeters) from the wall behind the toilet, and extend at least 54 inches (1,370 millimeters) from the rear wall. The grab bar behind the riser must be at least 36 inches (915 millimeters) long and extend from the centerline of the water closet at least 12 inches (305 millimeters) on the side closest to the side wall grab bar and at least 24 inches (610 millimeters) on the other side. The graphic below is representative of grab bar installations in a pit toilet.

Toilet Pit Grab Bar Installation

For pit toilets enclosed by walls, make sure the back of the riser is against the wall behind the riser. Provide a clear floor space that is at least 60 inches (1,525 millimeters) wide and 56 inches (1,420 millimeters) deep around the toilet. Of the required width of clear floor space, ensure that only 16 to 18 inches (405 to 455 millimeters) on one side of the centerline of the riser, and the rest is on the other side. See the graphic above.

Lightweight privacy screens are sometimes provided for pit toilets in remote general forest areas. Screens may be provided in areas where vegetation or terrain doesn’t provide enough privacy but where walls or sturdier enclosures would significantly change the recreational setting or adversely impact significant natural features or where it is difficult and expensive to pack in conventional construction materials. These screens may be made from tent fabric or other lightweight materials and have only enough structural strength to stay upright.

Never attach grab bars to privacy screens. Screens do not have enough strength to support a 250-pound load on the grab bars. Instead, position the screens outside the clear area required around the toilet to allow unobstructed access to the toilet area.

Provide turning space of at least 60 inches (1,525 millimeters) in diameter or T-shaped with a minimum 60- by 36-inch (1,525- by 915-millimeter) arm and a minimum 36-inch (915-millimeter) -wide by 24-inch (610-millimeter) -long base. This requirement is the same as ABAAS, section 304.3. Portions of the turning space may overlap the toilet clear floor transfer space. The graphic below is representative of a T-shaped turning space at a pit toilet enclosed by walls.

T-Shaped Turning Space at Pit Toilet Enclosed by Walls

The graphic below is shows the difference between a circular and T-shaped turning space.

Circular and T-Shaped Turning Spaces

When there are walls, ensure doorways or wall openings that provide entrance to the toilet have a minimum clear door opening width of 32 inches (815 millimeters), in compliance with ABAAS, section 404.2.3. The graphic below is representative of door opening width measurement.

Door Opening Width Measurement

Door swings must not obstruct the clear floor space inside the pit toilet. Doors that open out or slide use space efficiently to provide the required interior clear space, but they are not allowed to block the access route to the building.

Door hardware, such as handles, pulls, latches, and locks, should comply with the technical requirements for reach ranges and operability specified in ABAAS sections, 308 and 309. Lever type door opening handles comply with these standards for operation. The graphic below is representative.

Lever Style Door Handle

Whether the pit toilet has walls or not, make sure the slope of the turning space and the clear floor or ground space does not exceed 1:48 (2 percent) in any direction. When the surface is unpaved or not built with boards, grades 1:33 (3 percent) or less in any direction are allowed if required for proper drainage. The floor surface should be firm, stable, and made from material appropriate to the setting and level of development. When there is a condition for an exception that prohibits full compliance with the slope or surface requirements, they only have to be met to the extent practicable.

Locate the entrance to each pit toilet at ground level wherever possible. For instance, composting and moldering toilets have a “basement” area where waste is processed. The need to service the area under the riser may make it difficult to provide a ground level entrance to the toilet. In other areas, surface bedrock, permafrost, or other ground conditions make it difficult to dig a pit. In situations where the pit toilet is elevated above the ground surface, make sure any inclined access from the connecting ORAR or trail to the entrance of the toilet structure is firm and stable, at least 36 inches (915 millimeters) wide, and not more than a 1:12 (8.33 percent) slope to the extent practicable. If an inclined connection meeting these requirements isn’t practicable because of a condition for exception, steps are permitted—but only as a last resort. Provide a landing at least 60 inches by 60 inches (1,220 millimeters by 1,220 millimeters) outside the entrance door to the toilet structure. Because it is an outdoor recreation environment, make sure the inclined surface is firm and stable. It doesn’t have to be slip-resistant, and handrails aren’t required.

SUMMARY: Pit toilets are complicated! Accessible pit toilets at USFS facilities must meet the requirements in the FSORAG. The design of pit toilets varies widely depending on the setting, the amount of expected use, the system used to manage the waste, and whether or not the installation has no walls, thin/lightweight walls, or sturdy walls. If an accessible pit toilet has sturdy walls, a floor, a door, or a roof, these components must comply with the appropriate provisions of ABAAS.

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