Expanding Access to Public Restrooms Act of 2025

COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
OFFICE OF COUNCILMEMBER BROOKE PINTO
THE JOHN A. WILSON BUILDING
1350 PENNSLYVANIA AVENUE, N.W., SUITE 106
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20004

January 30, 2025

Nyasha Smith, Secretary
Council of the District of Columbia
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, DC 20004

Dear Secretary Smith,

Today I, along with Councilmembers Brianne Nadeau, Matthew Frumin, Robert C. White, Janeese
Lewis George, Charles Allen , and Wendell Felder, am introducing the “ Expanding Access to
Public Restrooms Act of 2025.” Please find enclosed a signed copy of the legislation. I introduced
an identical version of this legislation in Council Period 25, B25-102.

This legislation would dramatically increase the availability of public restrooms by providing grant
funding to facilitate the provision and maintenance of public bathrooms and by requiring that all
new and substantially renovated parks that are one acre or more in size have a public restroom.
This legislation follows my previously introduced legislation to expand restroom accessibility –
the Medical Necessity Restroom Access Act of 2021 ––which provides an individual with an
eligible medical condition the right to use a public or employee toilet facility at retail
establishments.

Currently, public restrooms are difficult to access in the District; this disproportionately impacts
people experiencing homelessness, pregnant people, people with gastrointestinal diseases and a
variety of other medical conditions, and young children. A lack of public restrooms contributes to
public urination and defecation that lead to serious public health issues.

Access to safe and clean restrooms is a basic necessity and thus it is imperative that the Council
take action to address the scarcity of public bathrooms across the District. This legislation will
provide dignity to people experiencing homelessness, pregnant people, people with medical
conditions, and young children who rely most consistently on access to restrooms. By expanding
public restroom access, the District will be a safer, more welcoming and inclusive place for all
residents and visitors.

The “Expanding Access to Public Restrooms Act of 2025” will increase the availability of public
restrooms by:
 Dramatically increasing the number of public restrooms in all eight wards in high-use
locations,
 Establishing a grant fund to support the efforts of BIDs and Main Streets to provide and
maintain public restroom facilities,
 Requiring the Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) to include public restroom
facilities in all new and substantially renovated parks that are at least one acre or more in
size, and
 Ensuring public restrooms are well-maintained by providing BIDs, Main Streets, and
DPR the flexibility to determine whether to contract with a third-party provider or hire
internal staff to maintain restroom facilities.

Should you have any questions about this legislation, please contact my Legislative and Committee
Director, Linn Groft, at lgroft@dccouncil.gov.

Thank you,

Brooke Pinto
Ward 2 Councilmember

___________________________ ______________________________
Councilmember Brianne K. Nadeau Councilmember Brooke Pinto

___________________________ ______________________________
Councilmember Matthew Frumin Councilmember Robert C. White, Jr.

___________________________ ______________________________
Chairman Janeese Lewis George Councilmember Charles Allen

_____________________________
Councilmember Wendell Felder

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A BILL 1
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IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 3
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To establish a Business Improvement District and Main Street Public Restroom Facility Fund to 5
be administered by the Mayor to support efforts to provide and maintain public restroom 6
facilities; to require the Department of Parks and Recreation to include public restroom 7
facilities in all new and substantially renovated parks that are one acre or more in size. 8
BE IT ENACTED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this 9
act may be cited as the “Expanding Access to Public Restrooms Act of 2025”. 10
Sec. 1. Definitions. 11
(a) “Business Improvement District” or “BID” has the same meaning as defined in § 2–12
1215.02. 13
(b) “DPR” means Department of Parks and Recreation. 14
(c) “Public Restroom Facility” means a gender-neutral restroom maintained by the 15
District or a third-party and accessible to the public free of charge, 7 days a week, from at least 8 16
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a.m. to 8 p.m. This may include a utility-free restroom but shall not include a portable restroom. 17
Sec. 2. Business Improvement District and Main Street Public Restroom Facility Fund. 18
(a) There is established as a nonlapsing fund the Business Improvement District and 19
Main Street Public Restroom Facility Fund (“Fund”), which shall be used solely for the purposes 20
set forth in subsection (c) of this section, and administered by the Deputy Mayor for Planning 21
and Economic Development. 22
(b)(1) All funds deposited into the Fund shall not revert to the unrestricted fund balance 23
of the General Fund of the District at the end of a fiscal year, or at any other time, but shall be 24
continually available for the uses and purposes set forth in subsection (c) of this section without 25
regard to the fiscal year limitation, subject to authorization by Congress. 26
(2) Any funds that are transferred through intra-District funding and are not expended 27
in any fiscal year shall revert to the Fund and be available for use in the subsequent fiscal year. 28
(c) The Fund shall be distributed to every BID and Main Street solely to support efforts to 29
provide and maintain public restroom facilities within their respective BID or Main Street areas. 30
Sec. 3. Public Restrooms in DC Parks 31
DPR shall include at least one gender neutral public restroom facility in all new and 32
substantially renovated parks that are one acre or more in size. 33
Sec. 4. Fiscal impact statement. 34
The Council adopts the fiscal impact statement in the committee report as the fiscal 35
impact statement required by section 4a of the General Legislative Procedures Act of 1975, 36
approved October 16, 2006 (12 Stat. 2038; D.C. Official Code § 1-301.47a). 37
Sec. 5. Effective date. 38
This act shall take effect following approval by the Mayor (or in the event of veto by the 39
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Mayor, action by the Council to override the veto), a 30-day period of congressional review as 40
provided in section 602(c)(l) of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, approved December 41
24, 1973 (87 Stat. 813; D.C. Official Code§ l-206.02(c)(l)), and publication in the District of 42
Columbia Register. 43