How to Tell If a Space Has the Plumbing for a Restaurant, Coffee Shop or Salon
Plumbing for a restaurant means one toilet per 75 people for each sex, one lavatory (bathroom sink) per 200, one drinking fountain per 500 and one service sink (Florida Building Code, Plumbing, Table 403.1). The count is based on how the space is actually used (section 403.1).
At Reach Commercial Real Estate, we represent tenants. We help you find locations, compare costs, investigate property questions and negotiate the lease.
1. Count the fixtures in the plumbing for a restaurant
Split your occupant load in half by sex and round each half up (Florida Building Code, Plumbing, section 403.1.1). Single-user toilet rooms count toward the totals (section 403.1.2).
With an occupant load of 152, that is 76 people of each sex. At one toilet per 75, you need 2 toilets for each sex.
A nightclub, bar, tavern or dance hall has its own row. It needs one toilet per 40 people for each sex, one lavatory per 75, one drinking fountain per 500 and one service sink (Table 403.1).
If your use is not in the table, the code official decides the count case by case. The Florida Building Code, Building, sets the number of occupants (section 403.1).
2. Plan the public toilets
A space open to customers must have public toilets for customers, patrons and visitors (Florida Building Code, Plumbing, section 403.3).
The code excuses a space intended for quick transactions, including takeout, pickup and drop-off (section 403.3). A takeout-only coffee shop with a public access area of 300 square feet or less falls within that exception.
The route to the public toilets cannot pass through a kitchen, storage room or closet. The public must have access whenever the building is occupied (section 403.3.1).
A toilet room cannot open directly into a room where food is prepared for the public (section 403.3.2).
3. Know what the state requires for food service plumbing
Every public food service establishment must keep at least one bathroom available to the public, on the same floor as the establishment (Rule 61C-4.010).
Florida follows the FDA Food Code for the rest (Rule 61C-1.001). It calls for:
At least one handwashing sink.
At least one toilet.
A sink with at least three compartments for washing equipment and utensils by hand.
At least one service sink or curbed cleaning facility with a floor drain, for mop water.
Plans for a new or remodeled public food service establishment go to the Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) for review and approval. They show where the employee and public bathrooms are (Rule 61C-1.002).
DBPR's plan review page also requires a separate sink used only for handwashing in each food preparation, warewashing and food dispensing area.
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) issues retail food permits to food establishments that sell directly to customers, including coffee shops and bakeries. Its applicants submit documentation of an approved water and sewage (septic) system.
DBPR licenses free-standing restaurants and takeout food service. Neither agency's page says which one covers a cafe that cooks food and seats guests.
4. If you run a salon, count the toilets, sinks and shampoo bowls
A salon needs at least one toilet and one sink with running water. They can be in the salon or in the same building within 300 feet of it (Rule 61G5-20.002).
Shampoo bowls must have hot and cold running water (Rule 61G5-20.002).
5. Check what changes when the space changes use
A change of use can bring increased or different fixture requirements. If it does, the new use has to meet the intent of the plumbing code (Florida Building Code, Existing Building, section 1010.1).
Full fixture counts for a story apply only if its occupant load rises by more than 20 percent (section 1010.1).
If you change to a food-handling use, existing sanitary waste lines above food or drink preparation or storage areas must be panned or otherwise protected. New drainage lines cannot go above those areas (section 1010.2).
6. Put the plumbing into the lease
Ask for landlord work versus tenant work, a TI allowance, free rent during the buildout and a permit contingency.
Once you pick a property, we negotiate the business terms.
Extra items to add to your list
Reopening after 18 months. A food service space that has been out of business for more than 18 months needs approval before it reopens. The operator sends plans and specifications to DBPR's Division of Hotels and Restaurants (Rule 61C-1.002).
A salon next to another business. Permanent walls have to separate the two, and each has its own distinctly marked entrance (Rule 61G5-20.002).
Service sinks. Restaurants and bars each need one. A business or mercantile space with an occupant load of 15 or fewer does not (Florida Building Code, Plumbing, Table 403.1, footnote e).
Start your search with Reach
You do not need to find the property before calling us. In most deals the landlord pays our fee.
Call 321-514-0876 with your business type, equipment list, seating goal and target opening date, or with the address of a space you have found.
See tenant representation and the space needs analysis.
Related: retail space for lease.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a food service tenant in a mall use shared restrooms?
Yes, if the restrooms are open all hours you operate, on the same floor as your space and reachable without entering another business (Rule 61C-4.010(8)).
Is a permit required to change the plumbing?
Yes. You need a permit before you install, alter, repair or replace a plumbing system (Florida Building Code, Building, section 105.1).
Sources
Written by Cassandra Hartford, founder and CEO of Reach Commercial Real Estate. She has worked in Brevard County commercial real estate for 17 years, representing buyers, sellers, landlords, and tenants across Florida's Space Coast.
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