Do I Need a Grease Trap?
Answer five questions to organize the facts your local sewer and building authorities will need. This tool does not determine a legal requirement, exemption, equipment type, or size.
Prepare for a Local Requirements Review
Grease-control requirements vary by address, wastewater authority, locally adopted code, operation and project. These questions collect useful operating facts, but only the responsible local authorities can decide whether equipment, plans, approval or inspections are required.
The checklist summarizes your answers and gives you a focused list of questions for the sewer or FOG control authority and the building or plumbing authority serving the property.
Important: Do not buy, size or install equipment based on this tool. Obtain a written local determination and the approved sizing method first.
Prepare Your Local-Review Checklist
Answer each question about your operation — your checklist appears at the end.
Your Result
Review Status
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Items to Confirm Locally
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Reasoning
Recommended Next Steps
Request Quotes from Local Grease Trap Pros
Tell us what you need. We review the request and may look for up to 3 available contractors within 75 miles. A match or response is not guaranteed.
How to Use Your Local Review Checklist
Your answers describe the operation; they do not decide the law. Send the summary to the sewer or FOG control authority and to the building or plumbing authority serving the exact address.
Ask each authority to confirm:
- whether the operation, wastewater connection and project are covered;
- whether plans, approval, a permit or inspections are required;
- which equipment and sizing method are approved for the site;
- which installer, service or disposal credentials apply; and
- which maintenance, documentation and recordkeeping rules apply.
EPA's national pretreatment framework allows local wastewater authorities to develop local limits and best-management practices. It does not provide a single restaurant-equipment answer for every address.
Why the Result Is Always “Local Review Needed”
Food-service FOG requirements vary by the authority serving the address, wastewater destination, locally adopted rules, and approved project. A five-question national tool cannot replace the current written direction for the facility.
Local Grease-Control Review — Common Questions
These answers explain the boundary of this planning tool.
No. An exemption or no-equipment determination must come from the authorities serving the property. Use the result checklist to request a written local determination.
No. Approved equipment and sizing methods vary locally and depend on project details this tool does not collect. Confirm them before purchasing equipment.
Identify the local onsite-wastewater, health or environmental authority and the building or plumbing authority. A municipal FOG program may not control the property, but other local requirements may apply.
Provide the exact address, wastewater destination, menu, cooking methods, fixtures and drains, existing equipment, project type and a floor or site plan if available.
A contractor can help document the site, but the local authorities determine the applicable approval and design rules. Obtain the written requirements before accepting equipment or sizing as final.
Official Sources
Fact-checked August 16, 2026.