New Free Bathrooms Are Coming To NYC. See Where

NEW YORK CITY— The City has begun installing 17 free public bathrooms across all five boroughs as part of a $4 million pilot program, the Mamdani administration announced Wednesday.

The modular bathrooms will be placed in parks, plazas and other high-traffic areas, including Cooper Square in Manhattan, Columbus Park in Brooklyn and Astoria Boulevard South and 31st Street in Queens.

The bathrooms will open daily from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Each unit includes a flushing toilet, running-water sink, climate control and baby-changing station.

The installations form part of a $4 million, one-year pilot program announced by Mayor Zohran Mamdani in January.

The New York City Economic Development Corporation selected Throne Labs in June to install, operate, clean and maintain the bathrooms.

“Too many New Yorkers know what it’s like to have nowhere to go while they’re on the go,” Mamdani said.

The units comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act and operate without connections to water, sewer or electrical infrastructure.

Where Will The Bathrooms Go?

The City plans to install the 17 units at:

• Bronx: Yankee Stadium, Admiral Farragut Playground, Mapes Park and Monsignor Raul Del Valle Square
• Brooklyn: Columbus Park, Milestone Park, Fulton Street and Truxton Street, and Avenue C Plaza
• Queens: Astoria Boulevard South and 31st Street, Northern Boulevard and 31st Street, Northern Boulevard and 54th Street, and 34th Avenue and 64th Street
• Manhattan: Cooper Square, Malcolm X Plaza, Delancey Street and Suffolk Street, and Plaza Alianza Dominicana
• Staten Island: North Shore Esplanade

Throne Labs already operates public bathroom networks in several U.S. cities, including Washington, Los Angeles, Seattle, Atlanta and Detroit.

Because the units do not require permanent utility connections, the City can move or remove them as needs change.

How Will New Yorkers Get Inside?

Visitors can unlock a bathroom by text message, QR code or the Throne Bathroom Network app.

Community organizations will also distribute tap cards for people who do not have access to a phone.

The app will show nearby bathrooms, whether a unit is available and cleanliness ratings submitted in real time.

Throne Labs will clean and maintain the bathrooms throughout the pilot. User feedback will help the company identify units needing attention.

The City plans to evaluate the program over the next year as officials consider how to expand New York’s public bathroom network.