Restrooms in offices: regulations, ratios and accessibility
The R4228-10 Labour Code ratio requires 1 stall per 10 employees as a safe practice
1 missing accessible restroom per floor means 18 months of commercial gridlock and 4,500 m² that cannot be sold: the order of 8 December 2014 is not a recommendation, it is a prerequisite for marketing. Restrooms in tertiary offices comply with Labour Code R4228-10 (1 stall and 1 urinal per 20 men, 2 stalls per 20 women, mandatory separation by gender in ERT), the order of 8 December 2014 (1 accessible restroom per accessible floor, 1.50 m turning circle) and ventilation R4214-2 (25 m³/h/person in offices, 30 m³/h per stall for extraction). Three bodies of regulation interlock and govern the operating permit, labour inspection visits and rental marketing. Restrooms occupy 3 to 5% of the usable area, i.e. 20 to 50 m² on a floor of 600 to 1,000 m². This page details the ratios by gender, the accessible turning circle, extraction flow rates and recurring non-compliances.
Labour Code article R4228-10 sets the regulatory ratios applicable to any establishment receiving workers (ERT):
| Headcount / gender | Stalls | Urinals | Washbasins |
|—|—|—|—|
| 20 men | 1 | 1 | 2 (1 per 10) |
| 20 women | 2 | 0 | 2 (1 per 10) |
| 60 mixed persons | 6 (including 1 accessible) | 2 | 6 |
Separation by gender is mandatory in ERT, except for the mixed accessible restroom in ERP type W (offices receiving the public) authorised by the order of 8 December 2014.
Our reading differs from the industry consensus on the raw R4228-10 ratio. Most engineering firms apply the legal minimum to the letter (1 stall per 20 men). We systematically use 1 stall per 10 employees, all genders combined: across our recent portfolio, this sizing has resulted in no observation from the labour inspectorate, whereas floors set at the strict legal minimum are exposed to a reprimand during headcount peaks. The 1/10 ratio absorbs the variations in actual occupancy (events, training sessions, 12pm-2pm peak) that the R4228-10 minimum does not anticipate.
The ventilation requirement of article R4214-2 sets 25 m³/h/person in standard offices and 30 m³/h/person in collective-use premises. On an 850 m² floor accommodating 60 people, restrooms represent 25 to 42 m² split across at least 2 blocks to keep travel distances below 30 m, the distance used by NF P 91-201 on the design of premises.
When this safe ratio is not the right trade-off. Below 15 employees on a single floor, the 1/10 ratio leads to oversizing (2 stalls minimum + 1 accessible = 3 stalls for 12 people, i.e. ~6 m² taken up for very intermittent average use). In this case, the strict R4228-10 ratio (1 + 1 accessible) is sufficient, provided a demonstrable headcount peak of < 20 people. Likewise, for temporary floors (lease < 24 months), full accessibility compliance rarely exceeds the ROI: negotiating an accessibility exemption with the commission is more rational than tearing down existing partitions.
Which restroom ratio should be used for an office floor of 60 people?
R4228-10 requires a minimum of 3 stalls for men (1 per 20) and 6 for women (2 per 20) on a balanced headcount, plus 1 accessible restroom per floor (order of 8 December 2014). Kytom uses 6 stalls including 1 accessible + 2 urinals + 4 washbasins, based on 1 stall per 10 employees, all genders combined: this sizing beyond the legal minimum secures compliance in the event of an inspection and absorbs headcount growth.
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