A catering FOG plan must identify who controls the kitchen, where food-preparation wastewater goes, and who is responsible for equipment and records. A caterer working from its own kitchen, a shared commissary, or a temporary event can face different local requirements.
Three settings to review
Owned or leased production kitchen
Confirm the approved fixture routing, grease-control equipment, service trigger, records, and any hauler or reporting rules for that address.
Shared or rented kitchen
Read the permit and agreement. Identify who owns the device, schedules service, receives manifests, responds to inspections, reports problems, and pays for corrective work. Confirm that the approved capacity and use cover the caterer's operation.
Temporary event or mobile service
Ask the event organizer and local authorities how food-preparation wastewater and used cooking oil must be stored and disposed of. Toronto's event guidance is one local example: it addresses interceptor use and approved wastewater disposal routes for mobile food vendors and special events. It is not a universal event rule.
Before production or an event
- Estimate the menu, equipment, production hours, warewashing, and cleanup that will occur at each location.
- Confirm whether food will be prepared at the commissary, venue, mobile unit, or more than one location.
- Obtain written direction for temporary sewer connections or wastewater storage and transport.
- Assign used-oil storage, spill response, grease-device service, and record custody.
- Recheck the plan when the event scale, venue, menu, or equipment changes.
Service and records
Use the local authority's accepted sizing method and actual fixtures or flows. Maintenance must meet the local trigger and reflect actual loading; a seasonal or event schedule is not automatically valid. Keep service, disposal, inspection, and approval records for the period required by the responsible authority.
For a shared kitchen, both parties should be able to find the controlling approval and final service records. A verbal promise from the host does not replace the agreement or official requirements.
Related GTL guides
Frequently asked questions
Who is responsible for a shared kitchen's grease interceptor?
The local rule, permit, property arrangement, and contract determine responsibility. Put service, records, inspections, and corrective work in the written agreement and confirm the arrangement with the responsible authority.
Does catering wastewater always return to a commissary?
No universal rule was found. Follow the mobile-food, event, sewer, and waste requirements where the operation occurs. Toronto, for example, describes more than one approved disposal route.
Does a caterer need separate grease-control equipment at every venue?
Not automatically. The answer depends on what food preparation and washing occur, where wastewater is discharged, and what the event site and local authorities approve.
How should a caterer plan for a larger event?
Recheck production, fixture use, wastewater storage or connection, used-oil handling, service access, and responsibility before the event. Obtain any required approval rather than relying on the ordinary schedule.
General information only: This page is not legal, engineering, plumbing, environmental, health, or safety advice.
Official sources
- U.S. EPA — Controlling FOG Discharges from Food Service Establishments
- City of Toronto — Mobile food vendors and special events
- City of Toronto — Food Service Establishment Environmental Code of Practice
- Metro Vancouver — Sewer Use Bylaw No. 365
- Ontario — Building Code regulation
Fact-checked August 14, 2026. Government guidance and local rules can change; recheck the authority serving the facility before relying on any requirement.
Author: Grease Trap Locator Editorial Team
The Grease Trap Locator editorial team covers FOG compliance, grease trap maintenance, and commercial kitchen regulations across the US and Canada. Our guides are written for restaurant owners, facility managers, and food service operators who need practical, accurate information without the fluff.
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