# Why don't bathroom stall partitions go all the way down to the ground? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 12, 2004, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-bathroom-stall-partitions-go-all-the-way-down-to-the-ground/259612 "2004-08-12T23:13:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Polerius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d78d45/32.png) [@Polerius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polerius)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2004, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-bathroom-stall-partitions-go-all-the-way-down-to-the-ground/259612/21 "2004-08-13T17:22:19Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > Part of it is to make it so others can see that there is only ONE person in the stall, if you catch my drift. What do people care how many people are in the stall? > [@](#): > > Part of it is, well suppose you decide to die or have a major health incident in there. If you fall on the floor, you’ll be seen and helped much quicker. If this were the reason, wouldn’t bathrooms at home be designed the same way? ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2004, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-bathroom-stall-partitions-go-all-the-way-down-to-the-ground/259612/22 "2004-08-13T17:58:36Z")
We’ve had incidents where highway rest areas have become havens for homosexual solicitation. Personally, I wouldn’t care to have my children in the vicinity of people in the act in the restroom regardless of their orientation. I’d rather use a stall that has been used as designed rather than spattered with bodily secretions that really don’t belong there. If someone conks out in a public restroom, generally it isn’t that hard to open the door and get him out if it has a large gap at the bottom. Try that with a full height door. ---
**Author:** ![Polerius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d78d45/32.png) [@Polerius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polerius)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2004, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-bathroom-stall-partitions-go-all-the-way-down-to-the-ground/259612/23 "2004-08-13T18:53:17Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > We’ve had incidents where highway rest areas have become havens for homosexual solicitation. Personally, I wouldn’t care to have my children in the vicinity of people in the act in the restroom regardless of their orientation. Well, if the stalls did have full height doors, and they were more like little rooms, no one, including children, would know what was going on in there, so wouldn’t that be better for the children? > [@](#): > > I’d rather use a stall that has been used as designed rather than spattered with bodily secretions that really don’t belong there. Agreed > [@](#): > > If someone conks out in a public restroom, generally it isn’t that hard to open the door and get him out if it has a large gap at the bottom. Try that with a full height door. But that’s exactly my question. If a large gap at the bottom is such a benefit when trying to help someone who conks out, why aren’t there similar gaps in restrooms in the home? When guests visit other peoples’ homes, they lock the door to the bathroom they are using. If they have a heart attack or something like that, no one can help them. Why not have large gaps at the bottom of all restroom doors then, whether at home or in public restrooms? ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2004, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-bathroom-stall-partitions-go-all-the-way-down-to-the-ground/259612/24 "2004-08-13T18:58:12Z")
True, you generally lock the door in a bathroom when you visit. But if you do conk there, you would be missed in a fairly short time. Bathroom locks are generally easily opened using a bent coat hanger in the center hole of the doorknob, they aren’t nearly as secure as outside doors. And generally home bathrooms are much larger than restroom stalls, so you could push a door in against an incapacitated party on the floor at home but perhaps not in a public restroom. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2004, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-bathroom-stall-partitions-go-all-the-way-down-to-the-ground/259612/25 "2004-08-13T19:50:25Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > In Europe, I noticed a lot of the bathroom stalls were little “rooms”, nearly soundproof. > > It was nice, but the flush was always in a different, new, exciting place. It was always an adventure. Once or twice I never found it. Shh. There was a hotel in San Francisco whose public bathrooms I used on occasion. It too had stalls that were little rooms. The door came all the way down to the floor, and the walls went all the way up to the ceiling. It was quite cozy! Ed ---
**Author:** ![RevCo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9fc348/32.png) [@RevCo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RevCo)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2004, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-bathroom-stall-partitions-go-all-the-way-down-to-the-ground/259612/26 "2004-08-14T00:38:37Z")
> [@suranyi](#): > > There was a hotel in San Francisco whose public bathrooms I used on occasion. It too had stalls that were little rooms. The door came all the way down to the floor, and the walls went all the way up to the ceiling. > > It was quite cozy! > > Ed Did it rent by the hour? ---
**Author:** ![vinniepaz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b4bc9f/32.png) [@vinniepaz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vinniepaz)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2004, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-bathroom-stall-partitions-go-all-the-way-down-to-the-ground/259612/27 "2004-08-14T01:03:05Z")
I used to be a member of a pool, and little kids would always go into the stalls, lock them, and then slide out under the door so no one could get in. s found it disgusting to slide on the floor of a bathroom so it was hard to get back in, but kids have an immunity to disgustingness. ---
**Author:** ![kniz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@kniz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kniz)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2004, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-bathroom-stall-partitions-go-all-the-way-down-to-the-ground/259612/28 "2004-08-14T01:22:13Z")
> [@suranyi](#): > > There was a hotel in San Francisco whose public bathrooms I used on occasion. It too had stalls that were little rooms. The door came all the way down to the floor, and the walls went all the way up to the ceiling. > > It was quite cozy! > > Ed Yeah, but then San Francisco has it’s own agenda. :rolleyes: In Europe, I’ve been in restrooms that had enclosed toilets and they were nice and clean. [sub] **but I’m sticking to the above.** [/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2004, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-bathroom-stall-partitions-go-all-the-way-down-to-the-ground/259612/29 "2004-08-14T01:29:50Z")
> [@scr4](#): > > to make sure the stalls were not used for illicit purposes. But maybe not, since bathooms at presumably secure and safe locations (e.g. offices) also have the gap… Your assumption that offices are not used for illicit activities is quite incorrect. I could tell some stories about activities in various offices I’ve worked in over the years, but it’s probably TMI for this thread. ---
**Author:** ![Flutterby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Flutterby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flutterby)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2004, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-bathroom-stall-partitions-go-all-the-way-down-to-the-ground/259612/30 "2004-08-14T03:51:12Z")
> [@Eva Luna](#): > > What about safety issues? Imagine you’re the mother of a 4-year-old who insists she can go all by herself, but then gets stuck because she can’t figure out how to open the door. You’d want to be able to get in there without busting the door down. Or what if someone slipped and fell in the stall, and couldn’t stand up to get out or was knocked unconscious? In every bathroom I can think of like the one described in the OP the locks can be opened by simply taking a quarter or similar size coin, sticking it in the little indentation and turning. There are exceptions, which have just occured to me, but in the majority of bathrooms you can do this. > [@Polerius](#): > > What do people care how many people are in the stall? Talk to some of Mall security sometime. I heard a number of things when I worked at the mall and got to know some of the guys. We’d hang out and talk on break. I would think it would allow someone to notice if a child is being harmed in a stall as well. > [@vinniepaz](#): > > I used to be a member of a pool, and little kids would always go into the stalls, lock them, and then slide out under the door so no one could get in. s found it disgusting to slide on the floor of a bathroom so it was hard to get back in, but kids have an immunity to disgustingness. See above about the coin. This is how I get into those locked stalls. Unless the lock is stuck, or designed differently, it’s quite easy. ---
**Author:** ![Billdo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/billdo/32/315_2.png) [@Billdo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Billdo)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2004, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-bathroom-stall-partitions-go-all-the-way-down-to-the-ground/259612/31 "2004-08-14T15:05:34Z")
I think you’re all missing the main reason, that was number 2 in the OP. **They’re cheaper.** The partial height partitions and frames are inexpensive and easy to install and repair and consume very little space. Similar full-height partitions would be more expensive, give little advantage, and likely easier to damage from kicking and the like. Making separate toilet rooms would be much more expensive and the walls would each take up several inches, as opposed to the inch or so for partitions. Although there are all sort of other reasons, when you’re talking about real estate, if it’s cheap and effective, Occam’s Razor says that’s got to be the main reason. ---
**Author:** ![medstar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f07891/32.png) [@medstar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/medstar)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2004, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-bathroom-stall-partitions-go-all-the-way-down-to-the-ground/259612/32 "2004-08-15T00:27:18Z")
> [@t-bonham@scc.net](#): > > Your assumption that offices are not used for illicit activities is quite incorrect. I could tell some stories about activities in various offices I’ve worked in over the years, but it’s probably TMI for this thread. [t-bonham@scc.net](mailto:t-bonham@scc.net), I would like to re-educate you on your comment above. In this message board, there is no such thing as TMI on this message board. Sure, those initials appear on some truly disgusting threads, but they serve as a beacon rather than as a warning. I think I speak for most Dopers here when I say, spill the beans about those activities you referred to. I’m pretty sure there’s a clause in the member user agreement which requires full descriptions with exacting attention to lurid details. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2004, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-bathroom-stall-partitions-go-all-the-way-down-to-the-ground/259612/33 "2004-08-15T04:16:13Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > True, you generally lock the door in a bathroom when you visit. But if you do conk there, you would be missed in a fairly short time. Bathroom locks are generally easily opened using a bent coat hanger in the center hole of the doorknob, they aren’t nearly as secure as outside doors. And generally home bathrooms are much larger than restroom stalls, so you could push a door in against an incapacitated party on the floor at home but perhaps not in a public restroom. I once had a roommate who would get drunk and pass out on the bathroom floor. With his head against the door. Couldn’t get it open, even though he hadn’t locked it. Yes, I banged the door repeatedly against his head, but he wouldn’t stir. I was left to pee in empty bottles until he woke up. :rolleyes: Anyway, I don’t worry so much about the doors and partitions not going all the way to the floor. What I **do** wish is that they would go all the way to the ceiling. I’ve had too many instances of the guy in the next stall being six-foot-six and unable to keep his eyes forward. Nothing like trying to crap with a big guy looking over the wall at you. ---
**Author:** ![Chairman\_Pow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/838e76/32.png) [@Chairman\_Pow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chairman_Pow)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2004, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-bathroom-stall-partitions-go-all-the-way-down-to-the-ground/259612/34 "2004-08-15T06:41:11Z")
> [@Polerius](#): > > What do people care how many people are in the stall? > If this were the reason, wouldn’t bathrooms at home be designed the same way? In some public places “living on the d’lo” is a legitimate concern. I will leave it up to you to find out about this practice on your own. ---
**Author:** ![Chairman\_Pow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/838e76/32.png) [@Chairman\_Pow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chairman_Pow)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2004, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-bathroom-stall-partitions-go-all-the-way-down-to-the-ground/259612/35 "2004-08-15T06:43:38Z")
> [@Billdo](#): > > Occam’s Razor says that’s got to be the main reason. Not when you’re dealing with building codes. Your reasoning is correct with regard to making the tops of the stalls go to the ceiling, but not the bottoms in this case. ---
**Author:** ![EvilGhandi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@EvilGhandi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilGhandi)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2004, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-bathroom-stall-partitions-go-all-the-way-down-to-the-ground/259612/36 "2004-08-15T07:37:34Z")
Google this: “building code public restroom” As a builder, I am frequently perplexed as to why codes are put in place. For instance, we are now required to idiot proof showers, so no-one can be scalded. Problem is these fixtures can be very expensive. In single family houses its of no real concern as these no scald fixtures work on pressure. But in high rise units hot water pressure and cold water pressure can be VERY different. Add in multiple condo owners using different plumbers. The reason public bathroom partitions are as they are is because city code specifies it. There is no other reason. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2004, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-bathroom-stall-partitions-go-all-the-way-down-to-the-ground/259612/37 "2004-08-15T08:03:08Z")
So that when the killer follows you into the bathroom, or the conspirators get together to reveal who the secret mastermind is the camera can pan along the gaps in the doors until it reaches your cubicle to reveal no feet because you have pulled some brilliant switch that lets you hear all that goes on and still live to run from the crooks with the help of the beautiful woman or disgraced cop, until… ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2004, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-bathroom-stall-partitions-go-all-the-way-down-to-the-ground/259612/38 "2004-08-16T18:39:39Z")
> [@PatrickMcGinley](#): > > Did it rent by the hour? Regarding the San Francisco hotel with floor-to-ceiling stalls: No, actually, it was one of the most expensive in the city. At the time it was the Four Seasons Hotel; I believe it’s now called the Clift Hotel. (Four Seasons built a new hotel elsewhere.) Ed ---
**Author:** ![Weirddave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/919ad9/32.png) [@Weirddave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weirddave)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2004, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-bathroom-stall-partitions-go-all-the-way-down-to-the-ground/259612/39 "2004-08-16T18:55:28Z")
> [@t-bonham@scc.net](#): > > Your assumption that offices are not used for illicit activities is quite incorrect. I could tell some stories about activities in various offices I’ve worked in over the years, but it’s probably TMI for this thread. Yea, for example, if you see a line of women outside an office that you know is vacent, and you hear a woman moaning inside and they tell you “She’s just sick”… [sub]Boy, that reference goes back a ways. I wish I could find that thread, it was brilliant![/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Weirddave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/919ad9/32.png) [@Weirddave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weirddave)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2004, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-bathroom-stall-partitions-go-all-the-way-down-to-the-ground/259612/40 "2004-08-16T19:24:43Z")
[Link to the thread I’m referencing](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=80750). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-bathroom-stall-partitions-go-all-the-way-down-to-the-ground/259612.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-bathroom-stall-partitions-go-all-the-way-down-to-the-ground/259612.md?page=3)