On June 6, 2005, Mayor Bloomberg signed the Toilet Parity law that has been championed by Council Member Yvette Clark. The law seeks to address the fact that women often have to wait in long lines at public bathrooms by doubling the number of water closets for women.

Specifically, the law requires that for "specified" places of assembly (i.e. arenas, concert halls, theatres, dance halls, stadiums, convention halls and bars) there must be double the number of water closets for women as for men, pursuant to the following table.

TABLE 16-1

Number of Persons	Number of Water Closets for Men	Number of Water Closets for Women
1-150	1	2
151-300	2	4
301-450	3	6

There must be two water closets for women and one (1) for men for each additional 300 people over 450. (For bars authorized to hold less than 150 people, the table does not apply but there must be at least one (1) water closet each for men and women or two (2) unisex bathrooms). Urinals may be substituted for water closets but only up to 50% of the required number.

The law applies to new construction or for alterations where the cost of the proposed alteration exceeds a certain percentage of the cost of the building or space. Waivers from the requirements of this law may be granted by the Buildings Commissioner for certain reasons including "physical or legal impossibility", "undue economic hardship" or the change would be "so slight as to produce a negligible additional benefit."

The law takes effect September 4, 2005.