No. 1 Priority: Porta-Potties on Mall

Of the 5,000 toilets, 1,000 are likely to be on the Mall, 500 near the U.S. Capitol and 3,500 along the parade route, Felice said. The number includes handicapped-accessible facilities. The units on the Mall are likely to be placed in the vicinity of food kiosks.

Organizers want the toilets to be cleaned three times that day, which will boost their capacity, Felice said. VIPs in the secure area around the Capitol will have the luxury of flush toilets in 10 to 15 portable trailers, she said.

The Secret Service is allowing pump trucks to be stationed in the Mall area so the restrooms can be cleaned, she said. Because of the logistics of moving such a large number of porta-johns, the toilets will need to be in place by Jan. 17, she said.

Felice declined to give a cost estimate for 5,000 portable toilets. The 550 units the company supplied for Fourth of July cost the Park Service $46,000, agency spokesman Line said.

Metro will rent about 150 portable toilets for its stations at a cost of about $20,000, officials said. For security reasons, Metro will close restrooms at its 86 stations. The porta-potties will be located at outlying stations and will be used only on Jan. 20. The cost could increase by $10,000 if Metro decides to have the toilets cleaned once during the day on Inauguration Day.

Staff researcher Meg Smith contributed to this report.