St. Louis — When it came to bathrooms at the new Chaifetz Arena, the architects thought they were doing the right thing.

They followed the plumbing code. For good measure, bonus toilets and urinals were thrown in. And women wouldn't be slighted.

At Chaifetz, women — no strangers to longer washroom waits at arenas — would have relief. They'd get 17 more potty spots than men.

Potty parity?

Not quite.

Despite the good intentions, despite all that extra porcelain, St. Louis University's new arena may actually be in violation of state law — the same law that led to bathroom alterations at Busch Stadium.

While Busch initially suffered from having too few toilets for women, Chaifetz — with 120 for women compared with 103 toilets and urinals for men — may have too many.

Yes, other states' laws and newer plumbing codes, including St. Louis', call for more water closets — or toilets — for women. But a 1995 Missouri law says the numbers need to be even-steven.

A potty parity problem may have been unavoidable, given the conflict between St. Louis' plumbing code and the state law.

"I would hate to make women's wait times longer by making St. Louis University actually remove a couple of women's water closets," said Frank Oswald, St. Louis' deputy building commissioner.

The city required SLU to follow the 2003 Uniform Plumbing Code and the city's amendments to the code. The plumbing code requires more toilets for women than toilets and urinals for men, and was calculated based on the 10,600-seat arena's occupancy, said Paul Banta, a senior associate at Mackey Mitchell Architects.

Banta said he was not aware of the state law. The designers, he said, contacted the city to determine what codes to follow. Regardless, he's not sure there's a problem.

"I don't know if it's a detriment that you go over what the minimum state law is," he said. "Usually it's a beneficial thing."

And, in fact, the final product exceeded the plumbing code's requirements, for both men and women. The arena has 51 more urinals and toilets for men than were required by code, and 53 more toilets for women than were required, SLU spokesman Jeff Fowler said.

Oswald said he didn't know whether anyone with the city alerted architects to the state law but added that it's not the city's duty to do so. "That's their responsibility," he said.

For now, Oswald plans to ask a city counselor whether the state law can be interpreted in a way to allow for more fixtures for women.

"They certainly met the plumbing code — our plumbing code — on it, and I think that they have met the spirit of the law, certainly," he said.

The intent of Missouri's "potty parity" law was to keep women from having to wait in longer lines than men. The law says that at places "for public amusement," such as auditoriums and sports arenas, "there shall be provided an equal number of water closets for women as there are the number of water closets and urinals provided for men."

That proved to be a problem at the new Busch Stadium, where the city still followed the 1987 National Standard Plumbing Code. Busch shorted the women by 37 fixtures, which was allowed under the 1987 code, but was precisely what the state law was supposed to prevent.

To even the score, the Cardinals asked the Missouri Legislature for a one-year extension to renovate the restrooms. By opening day last year, Busch was in compliance, with 334 fixtures for men and 334 for women.

Several states and cities have laws and ordinances requiring potty parity, including Illinois. Its "Equitable Restrooms Act" requires that the number of fixtures for men and women be calculated based on a venue's maximum occupancy.

Some laws differ in their definitions of parity, said Robert Brubaker of the American Restroom Association in Baltimore. New York City, for example, requires twice as many places for women to relieve themselves in stadiums, theaters and other venues.

"Sometimes 'potty parity' isn't what they mean or necessarily want," Brubaker said. "They're actually wanting potty asymmetry."

Irene Treppler, the former state legislator who wrote Missouri's law, was surprised to learn that women have the restroom advantage at Chaifetz.

"You mean they now get more because of the plumbing code?" asked Treppler, of south St. Louis County. "We've always had to wait in line. I don't know what to think about that. I just don't know what to say."

eholland@post-dispatch.com | 314-340-8259