How many dog waste stations does a property actually need?
Michael AlexanderOne dog waste station per 50 units is the common rule of thumb. It counts doors rather than dogs, so treat it as a starting point, not the answer.
In short
- Start with one station per 50 units, then check that number against your dog count
- The calculator turns your dog count into a station count and a yearly bag order
- A station nobody uses is usually in the wrong spot. Move it before you buy another
- Use a mini station wherever a trash can is already a few steps away
It is really two questions
How many stations a property needs comes down to two things, and mixing them up is what makes the answer feel complicated.
Where do people need a bag. That is a map question. Walk the property and mark the places a resident with a dog actually passes.
How fast does each one run out. That is a math question, and it is the one the per-unit rule ignores completely.
Answer both and you get a number you can order against. The rest of this page walks through each one.
Size by dogs, not by doors
Below 50 units the usual guidance is one station per housing cluster. Fine for a first pass, but neither rule knows how many dogs live on your property.
So start with the dog count. If you do not track it, leasing usually does, or you can estimate from pet fees. Then use two bags per dog per day, which is a common planning figure.
Multiply that out and you get bags per month. Compare it to what one station holds. Our dispenser takes 1,000 roll bags or 800 header bags. If one station would need topping up more often than someone can get to it, you need another station.
Work it out for your property
Enter what you know
This runs the math above. It gives you a station count, plus the bags and cases those stations will go through, so you can size the order at the same time.
One case is 2,000 bags. Cases are how you order and how pricing works, so that is the number to take to a budget.
What that looks like at different sizes
| Units | Dogs, if 30 percent have one | Bags per month | Cases a year | Stations needed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60 | 18 | 1,080 | 7 | 2 |
| 120 | 36 | 2,160 | 14 | 3 |
| 200 | 60 | 3,600 | 22 | 4 |
| 350 | 105 | 6,300 | 39 | 7 |
| 500 | 150 | 9,000 | 55 | 10 |
This table assumes 30 percent of units have a dog. Your property will be different, so put your own figure into the calculator above.
Put them where people already walk
Now the other half. If one station empties every week while another sits untouched for a month, the second one is somewhere nobody walks past. Move it before you buy another, because no amount of capacity fixes a station in the wrong spot.
Full station or mini
A full station is a dispenser, a waste can with a lid, a post, and a sign. A mini station is the same without the can.
Mini stations are the right call anywhere there is already a general purpose bin within a few steps. Residents get the bags where they need them, and there is one fewer can to empty. Use full stations where there is no bin nearby, which is usually along trails, at the far end of a property, and at dog park entrances.
When to add one
- A dispenser runs empty between scheduled refills more than occasionally
- A can is full before its normal collection
- Residents mention a spot with nothing within reasonable reach
- You add a building, a path, or a dog run
- Complaints cluster in one area of the property
Sizing a property now? We will send free samples, the real rolls and cards, so you can try them in your own dispensers first. If you are not sure which ones your stations take, send us a photo of the open dispenser and we will tell you.
Dog waste stations, dog waste station bags, or request samples.