NYC Council Investigation of Nearly 200 Public Restrooms Finds Various Locations Closed, Unclean, and Lacking Basic Amenities

City Hall, NY - Today, the New York City Council released a report detailing the findings of a Council investigation into the cleanliness, accessibility, and amenities of public restrooms across the city. As part of the investigation led by the Council's Oversight and Investigations Division (OID), investigators inspected 172 public restroom sites in parks maintained by the Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR), Privately Owned Public Spaces (POPS), and the City's three library systems. The investigation found restrooms closed during expected operating hours, missing basic amenities like soap, toilet paper, and trash cans, and lacking available menstrual products and diaper changing tables. Nearly all of these issues were found in park restrooms, while library restrooms were mostly found to be clean and equipped with basic amenities. More than one out of every ten restrooms were closed during posted operating hours; over one in four were missing a trash can, and over three-quarters out of every four stalls in women's restrooms did not have menstrual product disposal bins.

The report, Good to Go? can be found here.

"Ensuring our city's public restrooms are clean and accessible is a critical responsibility for city government," said Speaker Adrienne Adams. "Yet, the Council's investigation confirmed what too many New Yorkers have experienced: unexpectedly closed restrooms, unclean conditions, and a lack of sanitary amenities. My hope is that the next mayoral administration makes the maintenance and availability of our city's public restrooms a priority. I thank the Council's Oversight and Investigations Division for their continued focus on an area that often goes overlooked in our communities."

OID worked with the Council's Data Team to select a representative, randomized sample of 172 public restroom sites encompassing 337 individual restrooms across all five boroughs, with at least one site being located within each Council District. Council staff visited 156 park sites, 14 libraries, and two POPS. This broader investigation builds on and mirrors findings from OID's previous report, Nature's Call, which highlighted deficiencies in cleanliness, accessibility, and amenities faced by visitors to DPR's public restrooms.

The Council's inspections of public restrooms across the city found the following:

• More than one in ten surveyed restrooms (36 of 337), all located in parks, were closed during posted operating hours. Nearly one in nine park restrooms (36 of 304) were closed during posted operating hours.
• More than two in five open, surveyed restrooms (129 of 301) were missing at least one necessity (soap, toilet paper, a garbage can, or a method to dry your hands).
• More than one in seven restroom stalls (81 of 555) lacked functioning locks.
• More than one in four open restrooms (85 of 301) did not have a diaper changing table, and of those that did, more than one in five (46 of 216) had significant usability issues or were dirty.
• Library restrooms were generally clean; only two library restrooms exhibited any cleanliness issues.
• Public restrooms were not well-equipped for menstrual needs: About four in five stalls in women's restrooms did not have menstrual product disposal bins, and just four sites had menstrual product dispensers.
• The two POPS surveyed did not include their restrooms on their Entrance or Information Plaques.

"The City of New York must treat public bathrooms as the essential infrastructure they are and be maintained consistently and easily located," said Council Member Gale A. Brewer, Chair of the Committee on Oversight and Investigations. "Unfortunately, in our city, it seems that clean and reliable public bathrooms remain elusive. OID's investigation found that one in ten park restrooms were closed during posted hours, two in five restrooms were missing basic necessities like soap or toilet paper, and one in seven stalls didn't even have a working lock. These are not simply minor inconveniences, but instead matters of public health, safety, and access that must be addressed."

"I'm deeply concerned about OID's findings about public bathrooms in our parks and public spaces," said Council Member Shekar Krishnan, Chair of the Committee on Parks and Recreation. "Just a few weeks ago, our Committee on Parks and Recreation held a hearing about this exact issue because we know too well the effects of an underfunded Parks Department. Our parks bring color and community to the city we all love; we need to ensure they are clean and enjoyable for all New Yorkers."

To ensure public restrooms are safe, clean, accessible, and meet the needs of New Yorkers, the Council recommends the mayoral administration take the following steps:

Providing Accessible Information

• The Mayor's Office of Operations should ensure that the Public Restrooms Dataset and map accurately reflect open and available restrooms.
• Ensure that if a POPS includes a restroom, the POPS Information Plaque indicates the availability, location, and operating hours of the restroom.

Ensuring Cleanliness and Safety

• Garbage cans should be provided in all restrooms to decrease the prevalence and amount of litter.
• DPR should reevaluate their process for addressing maintenance issues, such as broken or missing locks on stalls, and should find ways to encourage the public to report these issues to 311.

Meeting the Needs of New Yorkers

• DPR should ensure equitable distribution and maintenance of diaper changing tables across all park restrooms, regardless of gender.
• DPR should provide a menstrual product disposal bin in each restroom stall and evaluate the cost and feasibility of installing menstrual product dispensers in every restroom, regardless of gender.

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