Does my business need a grease trap?
By Stew Israil, GreaseTrapRules · Updated Oct 18, 2026 · Every rule below links to its official source. Rules change; verify with your city.
Short answer: if you prepare food or wash dishes commercially, assume yes until your sewer authority says otherwise. Most city programs cover any business that prepares food, and exemptions are usually limited to drinks-only or pre-packaged-food businesses, granted case by case.
Who is covered, in the cities' own words
- Seattle, WA: any business with commercial kitchen plumbing fixtures and a King County Food Business Permit must install a grease interceptor, "even small food service providers like delis, coffee and ice cream shops, pizza parlors, and caterers" (Seattle Public Utilities, FOG: Commercial Kitchens).
- Austin, TX: all commercial and institutional food preparation businesses need an approved interceptor; businesses serving only pre-packaged foods, drinks only, or cut fruit may request a variance (Austin Water, Grease Trap Sizing & Design Criteria).
- Tampa, FL: a "food service facility" includes food courts, food manufacturers and packagers, restaurants, grocery stores, bakeries, lounges, meat markets, hospitals, hotels and nursing homes (City of Tampa, Grease Trap Definitions).
- Virginia Beach, VA: examples include restaurants, churches, caterers, hotels, cafeterias, delis, bakeries, ice cream parlors, cafes, schools and bars (Virginia Beach Public Utilities, Fats, Oil & Grease).
- Chicago, IL: required for fixtures with grease-laden waste in commercial food preparation areas such as restaurants, hotel kitchens, hospitals, school kitchens, bars, factory cafeterias and clubs.
- Los Angeles, CA: required for new food service establishments, conversions to food service, and remodels valued at $100,000 or more; others may get a conditional waiver.
Coffee shops and bakeries
Dairy, pastries and dishwashing all put grease down the drain, and cities count them. Seattle, WA names coffee shops outright. Austin, TX lists coffee shops and bakeries that use disposable flatware and no dishwasher as good fits for a smaller hydromechanical unit, but a dishwasher means a 500-gallon minimum. Chattanooga, TN sets a 250-gallon minimum for bakeries.
Food trucks
Food trucks are generally regulated as mobile food vendors. El Paso, TX (El Paso Water) says mobile food vendors and food trucks have their own FOG requirements. Ask your health department where the truck's grease and graywater must go.
Homes
Residential kitchens are generally outside these programs: Elgin, IL's rules say grease traps or interceptors are not required for residential users, and Fox Lake, IL exempts private residences.
How to find out for sure
- Find your city on the states page and read its "Required trap / interceptor type" row.
- Call the program contact listed there before you sign a lease or buy equipment.
- If you need one, size it and get the city's approval first.
FAQ
Does a coffee shop need a grease trap?
Often, yes. Seattle Public Utilities says delis, coffee and ice cream shops, pizza parlors and caterers need a grease interceptor. Austin requires one for all commercial food preparation, though drinks-only businesses can apply for a variance, and it lists coffee shops and bakeries among the low-grease businesses suited to hydromechanical units. Check your city.
Does a bakery need a grease trap?
In most programs we track, yes: bakeries are named as food service establishments in Tampa and Virginia Beach, Austin requires an interceptor for bakeries, and Chattanooga sets a 250-gallon minimum trap for bakeries.
Does a food truck need a grease trap?
Food trucks are usually handled under separate mobile food vendor rules, often by disposing of grease and wastewater at an approved commissary rather than through a trap on the truck. El Paso Water, for example, says mobile food vendors and food trucks have their own requirements. Ask your local health department and sewer utility.
Who decides whether I need a grease trap?
Your local sewer authority (city, utility or sanitary district), usually during building plan review. Austin's Industrial Waste staff decide on the initial submittal; Raleigh's pretreatment coordinator must approve the interceptor before plan review.
More guides
Sources
- Seattle Public Utilities, FOG: Commercial Kitchens
- Austin Water, Grease Trap Sizing & Design Criteria
- City of Tampa, Grease Trap Definitions
- Virginia Beach Public Utilities, Fats, Oil & Grease
- City rules quoted on this page come from each linked city page, which lists its official sources and the date checked.