After Tales Of Men Changing Babies On Bathroom Floors, Austin Mandates More Diaper-Changing Stations – KUT

Austin City Council members are requiring any new restaurants, theaters, stores and similar establishments to ensure they provide enough diaper-changing stations.

Council Member Paige Ellis, who represents Southwest Austin, brought the measure forward. Her office told KUT several fathers had emailed requesting the change, saying sometimes theyd had to change their kids on the restroom floor or go to their car to do it.

Oftentimes we think of diaper-changing stations as easily accessible in only the ladies room, Ellis said at the councils regular meeting on Thursday. And as we know, Austin is a community that doesnt stick to those types of old-fashioned norms. We have many people in our community that participate in child-rearing.

Under the ordinance, owners building gender-specific restrooms in a new or renovated store or restaurant must provide one diaper-changing station in the women's restroom and one in the men's room on each floor. If there is a gender-neutral bathroom, there needs to be only one diaper-changing station.

Staff found thatit would be too burdensome to require existing businessesto do this and so nixed this from the item althoughthe city will retrofit several of its own buildings, including City Hall, the Montopolis Neighborhood Center and two Austin Police Department substations. The city estimated it would finish the work next month. It'll cost $15,000.

The measure will not apply topublic restrooms the city will be installingin parts of downtown.

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After Tales Of Men Changing Babies On Bathroom Floors, Austin Mandates More Diaper-Changing Stations - KUT