Commercial Kitchen Grease Trap Requirements
Your grease trap keeps fats, oils, and grease out of the sewer — and keeping it serviced on schedule is something your lease, your local sanitation district, and the health inspector all expect you to prove. Here’s how often it must be cleaned, and the records that show it was.
What it is
A grease trap (or grease interceptor) captures the fats, oils, and grease — “FOG” — from your kitchen’s drains before they reach the sewer. Small under-sink traps hold a few gallons; large in-ground interceptors hold 500 gallons or more.
Left unserviced, FOG fills the trap, stops working, and flows into the municipal sewer — causing backups, blockages, fines, and in a bad case a kitchen shutdown. It only works if it’s pumped, scraped, and inspected on a consistent schedule.
Who requires it: your local sanitation district (through a discharge permit) and the health inspector — a food-safety and sanitation obligation. Your lease, and sometimes your insurance policy, may require it as well.
The 25% rule
The internationally recognized standard: a grease trap must be cleaned once the grease and solids reach 25% of its liquid depth. Past that, it stops capturing FOG and grease flows into the sewer.
A properly sized trap hits 25% every one to three months — which is why most commercial kitchens are on a monthly-to-quarterly service schedule. If yours fills faster, it’s undersized for your volume.
The 25% ceiling applies regardless of the calendar — but your enforceable schedule comes from your local sanitation district’s discharge permit. Many jurisdictions set a floor: often at least quarterly for large interceptors, monthly for small indoor traps, and some mandate cleaning every 90 days regardless of fill.
How it must be serviced
- 01A full pump-out — every compartment emptied, the floating grease and settled solids both removed (not partially drained or decanted).
- 02Walls, baffles, and inlet/outlet tees scraped and inspected.
- 03Waste hauled and disposed by a licensed grease hauler where the jurisdiction requires it — with a dated disposal record filed.
- 04Large in-ground interceptors serviced by a professional vacuum-truck contractor; small under-sink traps can be cleaned in-house with proper training and PPE.
The records you have to keep
The service is only half of it — the other half is being able to show it happened, on schedule. Health inspectors and sanitation districts demand grease-trap service records, and the common standard is to keep them for at least three years.
- 01A dated service/disposal record for each pump-out — the date, the amount removed, and the hauler.
- 02Enough history to show the trap was serviced on the schedule your permit requires — before the 25% ceiling, not after.
- 03Records retained and retrievable the moment an inspector or your sanitation district asks.
Where EvidLY fits
EvidLY holds your grease-trap service records alongside the rest of your compliance picture — fire, food, and facility. Every pump-out is captured and dated, tracked against your required frequency so a service doesn’t get missed, and ready to produce when the health inspector, your sanitation district, or your landlord asks. The whole record in one place, not a folder of fading service tickets.
Book a Demo →Grease trap, and the rest of food safety.
Grease-trap maintenance is a food-safety and sanitation requirement — alongside the food code your kitchen answers to ( FDA Food Code or California’s CalCode ), HACCP, and backflow prevention, and pest control. See how a kitchen keeps the whole picture — fire and food — ready: How to Track Kitchen Compliance.
Grease trap — FAQ
How often does a commercial grease trap need to be cleaned?
Most commercial kitchens service theirs every one to three months, driven by the 25% rule — clean once grease and solids reach 25% of the trap’s liquid depth. Your enforceable minimum comes from your local sanitation district’s discharge permit; many require at least quarterly, some every 90 days or monthly.
What is the 25% rule for grease traps?
The standard that a grease trap must be cleaned once the grease and settled solids reach 25% of its liquid depth. Past that point it stops capturing FOG and grease flows into the sewer.
Do I need to keep grease trap cleaning records?
Yes. Health inspectors and sanitation districts demand dated service and disposal records, and the common standard is to keep them at least three years.
Who requires grease trap maintenance?
Your local sanitation district (through a discharge permit) and the health inspector — it’s a food-safety and sanitation requirement. Your lease, and sometimes your insurance policy, may require it as well.
Keep the proof ready
EvidLY holds a dated service record for every grease-trap pump-out and the rest of your fire, food, and facility compliance — so the answer is ready before anyone asks.
Ready to see it?
Book a 30-minute demo and see how EvidLY keeps every fire and food safety record ready — before anyone asks.
founders@getevidly.com · (855) 384-3591