Porta Potties · Dumpsters · Storage Containers — South Philadelphia, Philadelphia
Porta Potty, Dumpster & Storage Container Rental in South Philadelphia
No part of Philadelphia pulls more building permits than South Philly. From the new infill rows going up on the vacant lots of Point Breeze and Grays Ferry to the gut rehabs on the two-story blocks around East Passyunk and Pennsport, this is rowhome country: narrow lots, no driveways, a sidewalk that's the only place to put anything, and neighbors who notice. We plan every placement for the block it's on, and the restroom, the dumpster and the container for one job come on one quote and one invoice.
Where We Work in South Philadelphia
Point Breeze & Grays Ferry
The city's busiest new-construction zone this year, with three-story infill homes and small multifamily buildings filling vacant lots west of Broad Street. A 20 or 30 yard roll-off for the framing waste, a porta potty on the lot and a 20 foot container for the finish materials is the usual setup, placed inside the lot line where the Streets permit isn't needed.
East Passyunk, Passyunk Square & Lower Moyamensing
Gut rehabs and additions on blocks where every house is occupied and parking is scarce. A dumpster here usually means a sidewalk or street placement and a Streets Department right-of-way permit, so we settle the spot with you before the truck rolls.
Pennsport, Whitman & Dickinson Narrows
Older two-story rows near Columbus Boulevard, with rehabs, roof tear-offs and the occasional demolition. Flat roofs come down heavy here, and the box is sized for the weight.
Packer Park & the Stadium District
Larger lots and parking fields south of Pattison Avenue, where a container or a row of units can sit without a street permit, and the stadium and FDR Park calendars bring event work all year.
Washington Avenue & the Italian Market
Mixed-use and commercial conversions along Washington Avenue and the blocks around 9th Street, where a storefront fit-out needs a short dumpster rental and a container for the fixtures that arrive before the space is ready.
The Work That Keeps South Philly Busy
Infill Construction
New three-story homes and small multifamily buildings on former vacant lots, with a crew for months and waste in waves. A roll-off on a swap schedule and a restroom count that follows the crew.
Rowhome Gut Rehabs
Plaster, lath and a century of flooring leaving through the front door. A 20 yard box at the curb, a porta potty inside the shell once the floor is framed, and a container for the cabinets and tile.
Stadium & Park Events
Tailgates, 5Ks and festivals around the stadiums and FDR Park, plus the block parties and street festivals that run through South Philly all summer, each needing accessible units and hand wash stations.
Dumpsters on a South Philly Block
Most of South Philadelphia has no driveways, so the dumpster question is always the same: lot, sidewalk or street? Inside the lot line, you need Philadelphia's L&I dumpster license and nothing from the Streets Department. On the sidewalk or in a parking lane, a temporary construction dumpster also needs a permit from the Streets Department's Right of Way Unit, and the Streets Department reviews whether the spot leaves the sidewalk passable and the street moving. We tell you which applies to your address when we quote and keep the box clear of the corner, the hydrant and the crosswalk. See Dumpster Rental in Philadelphia for sizes, and pair it with a porta potty for the crew and a storage container for the tools on the same quote.
The Alley Question
Every South Philly placement starts with one question: is there an alley, and can a truck use it? The blocks between Broad and the river were laid out with rear alleys on some streets and none on others, and the ones that exist run from six feet wide, good for a trash can, to twelve or fourteen, which a service truck can thread if nothing is parked in it. A rowhome with a usable alley and a rear yard is the easy case. The porta potty goes in the back, out of the neighbors' sight and off the sidewalk, and a 10 foot container can sometimes sit in the yard if the truck can get a straight run at it from the alley. The dumpster still goes in front, because a roll-off truck doesn't fit any South Philly alley, but at least the unit is handled.
A rowhome with no alley puts everything in front. The unit goes on the sidewalk against the house, the box goes in the parking space at the curb under the Streets Department's permit, and the block loses a space and part of its sidewalk for the length of the demolition. The ADA's 36-inch clear width still has to be kept on the sidewalk, which on a South Philly sidewalk with a stoop and a tree pit means the unit goes tight to the building line with its door toward the street. Once the first floor is open and framed, the unit moves inside the shell, and the sidewalk comes back.
Point Breeze and Grays Ferry are the exception, because so much of the work is new construction on a vacant lot. There, the box, the unit and the container all sit inside the lot line until the foundation goes in, and nothing needs the Streets Department at all; the planning question is how to keep a spot for the box once the building fills the lot.
Flat Roofs, Plaster and the Weight Problem
South Philly debris is heavy in a way suburban debris isn't. A two-story row from 1910 has three-coat plaster on wood lath, brick party walls, a flat roof with layers of built-up roofing and often a layer of slag or gravel on top, and tile and concrete in a bathroom that's been redone twice. A roof tear-off on a 16 by 45 foot row produces more weight than its square footage suggests, and a gut that sends the plaster out the window fills a box with dense, dusty material that hits the weight allowance long before the top rail. The right answer is almost always a 10 yard heavy-debris box for the plaster, the brick and the roofing, filled to its marked line, and a 20 for the lumber, the drywall and the cabinets, rather than one 30 that can't be lifted.
Loading matters too on a block where the box sits in a parking lane. Nothing can rise above the rail, because the driver can't tarp it for the road, and the overfill comes off onto the sidewalk before the truck leaves. Walk the heavy material in through the door and spread it; stack the light material on top. Our What Size Dumpster Do I Need guide has the math for a rowhome roof and a kitchen gut.
The Stadium District and the Festival Calendar
South of Pattison Avenue the city opens up into parking fields, FDR Park and the three stadiums, and the event work there runs all year: tailgate lots on game days, the runs and walks that start and finish at the park, festivals and concerts in the lots, and the Navy Yard's own events a mile east. The placement is the opposite of a rowhome block, acres of asphalt and grass with no plumbing anywhere, which means units in clusters near the gates and the stages, an accessible unit in every cluster on a path a wheelchair can use, hand wash stations by the food, and a mid-event service for anything that runs past six hours. The lots are managed, so the delivery goes where the operator assigns it, on the operator's hours.
Back in the neighborhoods, the calendar is block parties, the Italian Market festival, the Passyunk Avenue events and the parades on Broad Street, each with a Streets Department permit that closes the block and a unit count the organizer sets with the city. Those need a handful of units in a cluster at one end of the block, an accessible unit with them, a hand wash station if there's food, and a pickup the morning after. Our How Many Porta Potties Do I Need guide has the planning table; tell us the headcount and the hours and we'll size it.
What We Deliver in South Philadelphia
- Porta Potty Rental in PhiladelphiaStandard and deluxe porta potties, ADA-accessible units, hand wash stations and luxury restroom trailers for the ground floor, plus high-rise units and holding tanks for the upper floors and the office trailer, all on weekly service.
- Dumpster Rental in Philadelphia10, 20, 30 and 40 yard roll-off dumpsters for demolition, gut rehabs, roofing, cleanouts and new construction, with heavy-debris boxes for concrete and brick, swaps on call, and the rental days and weight allowance stated on every quote.
- Storage Container Rental in Philadelphia10, 20, 40 and 48 foot steel shipping containers for job site tools, materials, fixtures and office overflow, set on the ground where you point, locked and dry, with shelving and lighting on request, rented by the month and picked up when the job is done.
South Philadelphia FAQ
Can you put a dumpster on the street in Point Breeze or Passyunk?
With the Streets Department's right-of-way permit, often yes. The Streets Department reviews the location, so a very narrow sidewalk or a block where it would block traffic can be turned down. Give us the address and we'll say what's likely to work.
Where does a porta potty go on a rowhome lot with no yard?
In front of the house on the sidewalk, in the rear lot if there's alley access, or inside the shell once the first floor is framed. We'll pick the spot with you and keep a path open for the service truck.
Do you cover the stadium district and FDR Park events?
Yes. Tailgate lots, races and festivals around the stadiums and the park get standard and accessible units, hand wash stations and a dumpster for the cleanup, serviced around the event schedule.
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