Portland City Council adopts all-user signage requirement for single-occupant restrooms in public accommodations citywide

New city code targets restroom access and nondiscrimination for single-occupant facilities

The Portland City Council voted on February 11, 2026, to adopt an ordinance requiring gender-neutral, all-user signs for single-occupant restrooms in places of public accommodation. The measure adds a new section to Portland City Code, 23.01.071, establishing nondiscrimination requirements for how these restrooms are designated and presented to the public.

The ordinance passed as amended with 11 councilors voting in favor and one absent. The legislation was introduced by Council President Jamie Dunphy, along with Councilors Elana Pirtle-Guiney and Tiffany Koyama Lane.

What the ordinance does—and what it does not

The adopted policy focuses on signage and access for restrooms intended for use by one person at a time. The ordinance states that Portland previously lacked a citywide requirement extending beyond city-owned buildings, meaning private businesses and other public-facing facilities could continue using gendered labels for single-occupancy restrooms.

The new code does not require businesses to build new restrooms or remodel existing facilities. Instead, it requires that applicable single-occupant restrooms be identified with gender-neutral signage indicating the restroom is available for use by any person, regardless of sex or gender identity.

• Adds City Code Section 23.01.071 addressing signage and nondiscrimination for single-occupant restrooms in public accommodations.
• Does not mandate construction, reconfiguration, or physical alterations to restroom facilities.
• Places compliance emphasis on replacing or updating signs that designate a single-occupant restroom as “men” or “women.”

Enforcement, reporting, and implementation planning

Under the ordinance, notice and enforcement responsibilities are assigned to the City Administrator. Noncompliance may be reported through 311 to Code Review, and Portland Permitting and Development is directed to investigate and take further enforcement action when warranted.

The ordinance also anticipates an outreach component. A best-practice recommendation calls for sending notice to applicable public accommodations in 2026, including information that can serve as compliant signage. The policy further directs that funding be identified in the city’s fiscal year 2026–27 budget to cover costs associated with notice and related implementation steps.

The ordinance frames the change as a standardized signage requirement intended to expand restroom access for a broad range of users in public-facing spaces.

Background and broader context

The ordinance references a prior city action from December 17, 2015, when Council directed city bureaus to convert single-user, gender-specific restrooms within city facilities into all-user restrooms. The newly adopted measure extends a comparable approach to public accommodations citywide and cites similar requirements adopted in other jurisdictions, including Washington, D.C., Seattle, Philadelphia, California, Vermont, Illinois, New Mexico, New York State, and Chicago.

In the ordinance’s impact discussion, the city identifies groups expected to benefit from clearer all-user designations for single-occupant restrooms, including parents with young children, individuals with caregivers or personal attendants, people with certain health-related restroom needs, and members of transgender and nonbinary communities.