A compiled reference of 53 verified statistics on restaurant grease traps and FOG (fats, oils and grease) compliance. It covers how much sewer blockage the EPA pins on grease, what the 25 percent rule says and which cities use it, what permits, fines and manifests cost in named cities, how interceptors are sized, and what pumping costs in public contracts. Every figure is drawn from a named public source (the EPA's Report to Congress, Dallas Water Utilities, Houston Public Works, Austin Water, NYC DEP, Seattle Public Utilities, the Phoenix FOG manual, county bid tabulations, the National Restaurant Association) and independently checked before publishing.
Key statistics
7 highlights from this report
Key statistics
Key takeaways
Grease is the leading cause of sewer blockages in the only national dataset that exists, and blockages are the leading cause of overflows. Cities answer with a fill trigger (usually 25 percent) and a calendar cap (usually 90 days), backed by permits, manifests and fines that run to $10,000 a day. The price of pumping is set by bids, not by rule, and the same trap can draw quotes 2 to 10 times apart.
Grease causes 47% of reported sewer blockages, the single largest cause (EPA).
Blockages cause 48% of sewer overflow events, and 74% in the worst-hit systems.
One restaurant puts out 800 to 17,000 pounds of grease a year (EPA).
Eight of the jurisdictions we checked use the 25% rule; Austin uses 50% and St. Louis recommends 60%.
NYC's maximum grease interceptor penalty is $10,000 per day, per violation.
The same 1,000 gallon trap drew bids of $190, $400 and $248 per service (Dallas County).
Per-gallon haul-and-disposal bids ran $0.20 to $1.95 on one school contract.
How we built this report
Every figure was compiled in September 2026 from named public sources and verified against the original document before publishing.
- Compiled from primary sources
The EPA's Report to Congress on sewer overflows and its FOG fact sheet; city and utility FOG program pages, ordinances and brochures (Dallas, Houston, Austin, San Antonio, New York, Los Angeles, Seattle, Phoenix, Charlotte, Louisville, Savannah, St. Louis, Orange County, Bloomington); the International Plumbing Code capacity table; county and school district bid tabulations for grease trap pumping; treatment plant disposal fee schedules; a peer-reviewed grease trap waste review; and National Restaurant Association industry data.
- Only explicitly stated figures
We include only numbers a named source states directly, and attribute each inline at the point it appears. City rules are cited to the utility's own page or PDF, never to a hauler's summary of it.
- Disagreements shown, not averaged
Where three bidders priced the same trap, all three prices appear. Where Austin says 50 percent and Dallas says 25 percent, both appear. Nothing is blended into a single "typical" number.
- Independent review
Written by one co-founder, reviewed by the other before publishing.
Scope caveat: the national blockage figures come from one EPA dataset of overflow events reported in 2001 and 2002; no newer national count exists. City rules change, and the ones below reflect each utility's public page as fetched in September 2026. Bid prices are what one buyer paid one hauler under one contract, in the year stated, and are not a national price survey. Vendor price guides are marked as such. Confirm the current rule with the utility that serves the property.
Grease traps and FOG compliance, by the numbers
All 53 figures, grouped by theme, each from a named public source and independently verified. The compliance side (what the EPA counts, what cities require, what they fine) sits next to the cost side (what bids and fee schedules show), because a restaurant, a hauler or a property manager needs both to budget a kitchen.
How much sewer trouble grease causes
Every "FOG causes X percent of blockages" claim on the internet traces back to one document. According to the EPA's 2004 Report to Congress on combined and sanitary sewer overflows (epa.gov), grease from restaurants, homes and industrial sources was the most common reported cause of sewer blockages, at 47 percent, ahead of grit, rock and debris (27 percent) and roots (22 percent). Blockages in turn caused 48 percent of sanitary sewer overflow (SSO) events with a known cause, rising to 74 percent in communities that reported more than 100 events a year. The EPA's 2012 FOG fact sheet (epa.gov) puts a single restaurant's annual grease output at 800 to 17,000 pounds. Local utilities publish their own shares: the San Antonio Water System (saws.org) attributes 28 percent of its overflows to grease, and Charlotte Water (charlottenc.gov) responds to more than 200 grease-caused spills a year.
Statistic 1
Grease is the single most common reported cause of sewer blockages, at 47 percent of blockage events, according to the EPA's 2004 Report to Congress on sewer overflows.
U.S. EPA, Report to Congress on CSOs and SSOs (2004)
Statistic 2
After grease, the reported causes of sewer blockages were grit, rock and other debris at 27 percent, roots at 22 percent, and roots combined with grease at 4 percent.
U.S. EPA, Report to Congress on CSOs and SSOs (2004)
Statistic 3
Blockages caused 48 percent of all sanitary sewer overflow events with a known cause, more than wet weather (26 percent), mechanical or power failures (11 percent) or line breaks (10 percent).
U.S. EPA, Report to Congress on CSOs and SSOs (2004)
Statistic 4
In communities that reported more than 100 sewer overflow events in a single year, blockages accounted for 74 percent of events.
U.S. EPA, Report to Congress on CSOs and SSOs (2004)
Statistic 5
A blockage-caused sewer overflow averaged 5,900 gallons with a median of 500 gallons, and blockages made up only 3 percent of total overflow volume while wet weather made up 74 percent.
U.S. EPA, Report to Congress on CSOs and SSOs (2004)
Statistic 6
The EPA estimated the total volume of sanitary sewer overflows in the United States at between 3 and 10 billion gallons per year.
U.S. EPA, Report to Congress on CSOs and SSOs (2004)
Statistic 7
The EPA estimates there are at least 23,000 to 75,000 sanitary sewer overflows per year in the United States, not counting sewage backups into buildings.
U.S. EPA, sanitary sewer overflow program page (2026)
Statistic 8
A single restaurant generates between 800 and 17,000 pounds of grease per year, counting collected grease trap waste and uncollected grease that reaches the treatment plant, according to the EPA's 2012 FOG fact sheet.
U.S. EPA, National Pretreatment Program FOG fact sheet (2012)
Statistic 9
In San Antonio, 28 percent of sanitary sewer overflows have historically been attributed to grease, according to the San Antonio Water System.
San Antonio Water System, FOG abatement program page (2026)
Statistic 10
Charlotte Water responds to more than 200 sewer spills a year caused by grease clogging sewer pipes.
Charlotte Water, Flow Free program page (2026)
What this means: Blockage overflows are frequent but small (a 500 gallon median event) and they happen in the public sewer; the building backup that follows a clogged trap is not counted in these figures at all. For anyone documenting property condition, the grease trap is the one piece of kitchen equipment whose failure is a sewage event, not a repair ticket.
The 25 percent rule, and who actually codifies it
The 25 percent rule says an interceptor must be pumped before floating grease plus settled solids reach a quarter of its liquid depth. It is a local rule, not a federal one. According to Dallas Water Utilities (dallascityhall.com), Dallas requires cleaning at least every 90 days or whenever 25 percent or more of the interceptor is filled, and its brochure walks through a failing measurement of 37.5 percent. Seattle Public Utilities (seattle.gov), the San Antonio Water System (saws.org), the City of Phoenix's 2024 FOG manual (phoenix.gov), Louisville MSD (louisvillemsd.org), Savannah (savannahga.gov), the Orange County Sanitation District (cleanwatersocal.org) and Bloomington, Indiana (bloomington.in.gov) all use the same 25 percent trigger. Austin is the exception: Austin Water (austintexas.gov) sets the trigger at 50 percent of wetted height, and a Texas charter school network's contract copies Austin's 50 percent wording, while Houston's public pages (houstonpermittingcenter.org) state only the 90-day cap. The Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District (msdprojectclear.org) recommends cleaning at 60 percent. Interceptor maker Schier (schierproducts.com) traces the 25 percent figure to a 1998 Plumbing and Drainage Institute paper and the geometry of small hydromechanical units.
Pumping rules by jurisdiction
Fill trigger, calendar cap and penalty language, each from the utility's own page or PDF. Fetched September 2026.
| Jurisdiction | Fill trigger | Calendar cap | Records | Penalty language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas, TXDallas Water Utilities, Code 19-126.2(c) | 25% rule | Every 90 days | Manifests 3 years | Citations for no interceptor, missed 90-day service, no manifests, unpermitted hauler |
| San Antonio, TXSan Antonio Water System | 25% rule | Not stated on page | Not stated | Exceeding 25% of wetted height at inspection is a violation |
| Phoenix, AZWater Services, 2024 FOG manual | 25% rule | Not stated | Records 3 years | Full cleaning by licensed pumper required once exceeded |
| Seattle, WASeattle Public Utilities | 25% rule when no manufacturer spec | Not stated | Not stated on page | Fines plus the City's costs for grease damage to the sewer |
| Louisville, KYLouisville MSD FOG guidelines | 25% rule | Never over 90 days; 30 or 60 days for some classes | Not stated | Special frequency only by MSD approval |
| Savannah, GAGrease interceptor standard | 25% rule | At least 4 times a year | Disposal records on site | Penalties and/or service discontinuance |
| Orange County, CAOCSD Ordinance 25 (2005) | 25% rule | Quarterly when no site frequency is set | Not stated | $100/yr permit fee proposed; Grease Disposal Mitigation Fee for sites granted an interceptor waiver |
| Bloomington, INCity of Bloomington Utilities | 25% rule | Every 90 days | Copy to utility within 14 days | Not stated on page |
| Austin, TXAustin Water, Code 15-10-197 | 50% of wetted height | Every 90 days | Manifests 3 years | Each missed item a separate violation; fines and permit revocation |
| Houston, TXHouston Public Works, Code 47-512(b) | Not confirmed on city pages | Every 90 days unless waiver | Manifests 5 years | $250 to $2,000 per violation; permit $123.54 + $33.56 |
| Charlotte, NCCharlotte Water grease trap policy | Not stated | Outside traps quarterly; under-sink monthly | Records 3 years | Penalties and/or discontinuance of service |
| New York, NYNYC DEP, 15 RCNY 19 | "Before exceeding rated capacity" | Not stated | Not stated | Up to $10,000 per day, per violation |
| St. Louis, MOMetropolitan St. Louis Sewer District | 60% (recommended) | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated on page |
| Los Angeles, CALA Sanitation, LAMC 64.30 | Not stated on page | Not stated | Industrial Wastewater Permit | Permit application fee plus quarterly inspection fees (cost recovery) |
Statistic 11
Dallas requires grease interceptors to be cleaned at least every 90 days, or whenever 25 percent or more of the interceptor contains floating materials, sediment, oils or grease (Dallas City Code Sec. 19-126.2(c)).
Dallas Water Utilities, pretreatment program FAQ (2026)
Statistic 12
Dallas's own worked example of the 25 percent rule shows that 0.5 feet of grease plus 1.0 foot of solids in a 4-foot-deep interceptor equals 37.5 percent, a failing measurement that requires more frequent pump-outs.
Dallas Water Utilities, grease interceptor brochure
Statistic 13
Seattle Public Utilities tells commercial kitchens that, when manufacturer specifications are not available, no more than 25 percent of a grease interceptor should contain food or FOG buildup.
Seattle Public Utilities, FOG guidance for commercial kitchens (2026)
Statistic 14
Phoenix requires a full cleaning by a licensed pumper once fats, oils and solids occupy more than 25 percent of an interceptor's capacity, and maintenance records must be kept on site for three years.
City of Phoenix Water Services, FOG best management practices manual (2024)
Statistic 15
Louisville MSD names the "25 Percent Rule" outright, caps cleaning intervals at 90 days, and warns that some restaurants will need 30-day or 60-day pumping to stay under it.
Louisville MSD, FOG guidelines (2015)
Statistic 16
Savannah requires pump-out whenever 25 percent or more of a grease trap is full of grease or solids, with a minimum of four cleanings per year.
City of Savannah, grease interceptor standard (2015)
Statistic 17
Orange County Sanitation District's FOG ordinance, effective January 1, 2005, requires interceptors to be pumped so that combined FOG and solids never exceed 25 percent of total design hydraulic depth, and proposed a $100 per year permit fee.
Orange County Sanitation District, FOG ordinance fact sheet (2005)
Statistic 18
Bloomington, Indiana requires grease interceptor maintenance at least every 90 days or when floatable and settleable waste reaches 25 percent of wetted depth.
City of Bloomington Utilities, grease interceptor maintenance procedure (2024)
Statistic 19
In San Antonio, a food service establishment whose interceptor is found at 25 percent or more of wetted height during a SAWS inspection is considered in violation.
San Antonio Water System, FOG abatement program page (2026)
Statistic 20
Austin does not use the 25 percent rule: grease traps must be pumped at least every 90 days, or sooner when grease and solids make up 50 percent or more of the wetted height (Austin City Code 15-10-197).
Austin Water, grease trap maintenance page (2026)
Statistic 21
The Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District recommends cleaning grease interceptors when 60 percent of capacity is reached, a far looser trigger than the 25 percent rule.
Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District, grease interceptors guidance (2026)
Statistic 22
Houston requires every interceptor inside city limits to be fully evacuated at least quarterly (every 90 days) unless a Notice of Waiver is approved (Houston Code Sec. 47-512(b)).
Houston Public Works, special waste generator permit page (2026)
Statistic 23
Charlotte Water's grease trap policy says outside traps should be pumped quarterly and small under-sink traps monthly, and requires on-site records for three years.
Charlotte Water, grease trap policy
Statistic 24
A Texas charter school network's 2022-23 grease trap contract specified cleaning at least every three months or when 50 percent of wetted height contains grease and solids, matching Austin's 50 percent wording rather than the 25 percent rule.
IDEA Public Schools, grease trap cleaning bid tabulation (2022-23)
Statistic 25
The 25 percent rule traces to a 1998 Plumbing and Drainage Institute paper and to the geometry of small hydromechanical interceptors, whose grease storage at the minimum rating is 25 to 35 percent of depth, according to interceptor manufacturer Schier.
Schier Products, 25 percent rule explainer (vendor commentary)
What this means: "Every 90 days" is the floor almost everywhere, but the fill trigger is what inspectors measure with a dipstick, and it ranges from 25 to 60 percent depending on the city. A hauler's manifest proves the calendar; only a depth reading proves the trigger. Multi-site operators should record both at every pump-out, since the same trap can be compliant in Austin and in violation in Dallas on the same day.
Permits, fines and paperwork
The enforcement side is where the dollar figures live. According to the NYC Department of Environmental Protection (nyc.gov), the maximum penalty for violating New York's grease interceptor rules is $10,000 per day, per violation. Houston Public Works (houstonconsumer.org) publishes citation fines of $250 to $2,000 per violation and a FOG permit fee of $123.54 plus a $33.56 administrative fee, and requires manifests kept five years. Austin Water (austintexas.gov) keeps manifests three years and makes each missed requirement its own violation. LA Sanitation (sanitation.lacity.gov) runs its FOG Control Program on cost recovery, charging a permit application fee plus quarterly inspection fees.
Statistic 26
New York City's maximum penalty for violating its grease interceptor rules is $10,000 per day, per violation.
NYC Department of Environmental Protection, business grease disposal page (2026)
Statistic 27
Houston's Fats, Oils and Grease generator permit costs $123.54 plus a $33.56 administrative fee, with a $123.54 renewal.
Houston Permitting Center, special waste generator permit page (2026)
Statistic 28
Houston citation fines for grease trap violations range from $250 to $2,000 per violation, and generators must keep waste manifests on site for five years.
Houston Public Works, special waste generators page (2026)
Statistic 29
Houston cut its oil and grease discharge limit from 400 mg/L to 200 mg/L over a two-year phase-in.
Houston Public Works, special waste generators page (2026)
Statistic 30
Austin requires hauler manifests to be kept on site for three years, caps grease discharge at an instantaneous 200 milligrams per liter, and treats each missed requirement as a separate violation.
Austin Water, grease trap maintenance page (2026)
Statistic 31
Dallas inspectors can issue citations for four things: no grease interceptor, failing to service it every 90 days, no manifests on site, or using a non-permitted transporter, and manifests must be kept for three years.
Dallas Water Utilities, grease interceptor brochure
Statistic 32
Los Angeles runs its FOG Control Program on a cost-recovery model, charging every food service establishment a permit application fee plus quarterly Inspection and Control fees under LAMC Section 64.30.
LA Sanitation and Environment, FOG program page (2026)
What this means: None of Dallas's four citation triggers is a grease measurement: no interceptor, a missed 90-day service, no manifest on site, or an unpermitted hauler. Two of them are pure paperwork. The manifest is the compliance artifact, and it has to be on site, dated and signed, for three to five years. A photo of each manifest and each open-lid depth reading, filed by property and date, is the cheapest insurance a multi-site operator can buy against a $10,000-a-day exposure.
How interceptors are sized
Two vocabularies collide here. Plumbing codes size the small indoor unit by flow rate and pounds of grease held; utilities size the outdoor tank by gallons. According to the International Plumbing Code's interceptor capacity table (2024 edition as adopted by Maryland, via up.codes), a 20 gallon-per-minute unit must retain 40 pounds of grease and a 100 gpm unit 200 pounds, with retention doubling the flow rate above 100 gpm. Louisville MSD (louisvillemsd.org) sets outdoor minimums by restaurant class from a 25 gpm trap to a 2,000 gallon interceptor. Dallas Water Utilities (dallascityhall.com) draws the line at roughly 100 gallons: below it a "trap", above it an "interceptor" of 250 to 5,000 gallons. Charlotte Water (charlottenc.gov) notes that outdoor interceptors of 500 gallons or more fall outside the 2012 North Carolina Plumbing Code's interceptor section entirely.
Statistic 33
The International Plumbing Code's capacity table pairs a 20 gallon-per-minute interceptor with 40 pounds of grease retention and a 100 gpm unit with 200 pounds; above 100 gpm, the retention requirement is double the flow rate.
International Plumbing Code, Table 1003.3.5.1, via UpCodes (2024)
Statistic 34
Louisville MSD sets minimum interceptor sizes by restaurant class: a 25 gpm / 50 pound trap for delis and coffee shops, a 1,000 gallon interceptor for limited- and full-service restaurants, 1,500 gallons for buffets and cafeterias, and 2,000 gallons for schools, hospitals and prisons.
Louisville MSD, FOG guidelines (2015)
Statistic 35
Dallas Water Utilities describes a grease trap as the indoor device usually under 100 gallons, and a grease interceptor as the precast concrete tank of 250 to 5,000 gallons.
Dallas Water Utilities, pretreatment program FAQ (2026)
Statistic 36
Under the 2012 North Carolina Plumbing Code as applied by Charlotte Water, outdoor grease interceptors of 500 gallons or more fall outside the plumbing code's interceptor section, leaving the utility to set requirements.
Charlotte Water, grease trap policy
What this means: The size on the manifest should match the size on the plan: a 1,000 gallon interceptor billed as 750 gallons is both an under-pump and a paperwork problem. Sizing also drives the whole cost ladder below.
What pumping costs in public contracts
Vendor blogs quote a national range; none of them source it. Public buyers publish the actual prices. According to Lubbock County's 2022 bid summary (lubbockcounty.gov), a 1,000 gallon tank was pumped for $320 per service, a 2,000 gallon tank for $630, and a pair of 2,500 gallon tanks for $1,023.75. Dallas County's 2009 tabulation (dallascounty.org) shows three haulers pricing the same 1,000 gallon jail kitchen trap at $190, $400 and $248, and the same 3,000 gallon trap at $2,000, $1,200 and $1,004. IDEA Public Schools' 2022-23 tabulation (ideapublicschools.org) priced haul-and-disposal by the gallon at $0.20 to $1.95, and Fauquier County, Virginia (fauquiercounty.gov) paid a flat $0.135 per gallon. Escambia County schools (escambia.k12.fl.us) awarded 49 school kitchens for $53,072.64 a year in 2016. Hauler price pages from Grease Cycle (grease-cycle.com), Grease Management (greasemanagement.org) and The Grease Company (thegreasecompany.com) bracket the retail market and are marked as vendor data below.
Price per pump-out, by trap size
Solid bars are public bid prices (each dot is one bidder). Dashed bars are hauler price guides. Nothing is averaged.
Statistic 37
Lubbock County's 2022 grease trap pumping award priced a 1,000 gallon tank at $320 per service, a 2,000 gallon tank at $630, and a pair of 2,500 gallon tanks at $1,023.75, plus a $175 truck charge for nights, weekends or holidays.
Lubbock County, grease trap pumping bid summary (2022)
Statistic 38
In Dallas County's 2009 liquid waste bid, three haulers priced the same 1,000 gallon jail kitchen grease trap at $190, $400 and $248 per service.
Dallas County Purchasing, liquid waste and grease trap bid tabulation (2009)
Statistic 39
The same Dallas County bid priced a 1,500 gallon grease trap at $285, $600 and $329 per service and a 3,000 gallon trap at $2,000, $1,200 and $1,004, so the largest trap cost 3 to 10 times the 1,000 gallon price.
Dallas County Purchasing, liquid waste and grease trap bid tabulation (2009)
Statistic 40
Five haulers bidding IDEA Public Schools' 2022-23 grease trap contract quoted haul-and-disposal rates from $0.20 to $1.95 per gallon, and one bidder quoted $0.84 in one Texas region and $1.95 in another.
IDEA Public Schools, grease trap cleaning bid tabulation (2022-23)
Statistic 41
Escambia County School District's 2016 award for pumping grease traps at 49 schools came in at an estimated $53,072.64 per year, with the two losing bids at $59,004.28 and $69,122.15.
Escambia County School District, bid award and tabulation (2016)
Statistic 42
Fauquier County, Virginia's multi-year pumping contract paid $0.135 per gallon to pump and clean grease traps, $250 flat per catch basin, and $85 per hour for labor, with emergency two-hour response at the same rates.
Fauquier County Procurement, contract renewal notice (2018)
Statistic 43
Loudoun County, Virginia's April 2026 pump-and-haul services bid drew two prices for the same scope, $13,330 and $130,310, a nearly tenfold spread; the county's scope is liquid waste hauling, not specifically grease traps.
County of Loudoun Division of Procurement, bid tabulation (2026)
Statistic 44
Hauler Grease Cycle's price guide puts scheduled pumping of a 30 to 200 gallon indoor trap at $125 to $180, a one-off pump at $190 to $240, and a 1,000 to 1,500 gallon interceptor on a service program at $225 to $315.
Grease Cycle, pumping cost guide (vendor data, 2026)
Statistic 45
Grease Management's service cost page quotes $175 to $475 to pump a regularly maintained indoor trap and $325 to $950 for a scheduled interceptor pump-out within allowed FOG limits.
Grease Management, pricing page (vendor data, 2026)
Statistic 46
The Grease Company's cost guide puts small indoor trap service at about $175 to $325 per visit and large outdoor interceptors at $350 to $1,500, with very large systems reaching $2,000 or more.
The Grease Company, cost guide (vendor data, 2026)
What this means: The spread between bidders on identical work (2x in Dallas County, 10x on IDEA's per-gallon line) is bigger than the spread between trap sizes. Price is a bidding outcome, not a rate card. Anyone budgeting a portfolio of kitchens should bid the scope, not accept a "typical" figure, and should tie every invoice to a manifest showing the gallons actually removed. This sits alongside our commercial kitchen equipment repair cost statistics as the recurring line item most operators underestimate.
Disposal fees and the hauler side
Part of every pump-out price is the gate fee at the receiving plant. According to Fairfax County Public Works (fairfaxcounty.gov), haulers pay $27 per 1,000 gallons of truck capacity to dispose of restaurant grease trap waste, against $7.72 for low-strength wastes. Colorado Springs Utilities (csu.org) meters it at $0.0725245 per gallon plus a $50 annual permit. A 2024 peer-reviewed review in MDPI's Environments journal (mdpi.com) documents a Northern Kentucky plant receiving about 354,000 gallons of trap waste a year from roughly 30 haulers at $80,000 to $160,000 in landfill costs, and finds that most of the 42 used-cooking-oil collectors it surveyed also pump traps, with only 7 operating nationally.
Statistic 47
Fairfax County, Virginia charges haulers $27 per 1,000 gallons of truck capacity to dispose of restaurant grease trap waste, versus $7.72 per 1,000 gallons for low-strength wastes like portable toilet waste.
Fairfax County Public Works, hauled wastewater charges (2026)
Statistic 48
Colorado Springs Utilities charges liquid waste haulers $0.0725245 per gallon for disposal plus a $50 annual permit fee.
Colorado Springs Utilities, liquid waste hauler program page (2026)
Statistic 49
A Northern Kentucky treatment plant's grease-receiving station took in about 354,000 gallons of grease trap waste from roughly 30 certified haulers in 2019, at an annual landfill disposal cost of $80,000 to $160,000.
MDPI Environments, grease trap waste management review (2024)
Statistic 50
Of 42 used-cooking-oil collectors surveyed in a 2024 review, 24 (57.1 percent) also offered grease trap cleaning, and only seven (about 16.7 percent) operated nationwide.
MDPI Environments, grease trap waste management review (2024)
What this means: A capacity-based gate fee like Fairfax's charges a half-empty truck the full-truck rate, which is why haulers route to arrive full and why a small isolated trap costs more per gallon than a big one on a dense route. The hauler market is local and fragmented, which is one reason the same job draws such different bids.
The restaurant base that feeds the traps
The scale of the compliance problem is the scale of the industry. According to the National Restaurant Association (restaurant.org), the US has more than 1 million restaurant and foodservice outlets, with sales projected at $1.55 trillion and employment at 15.8 million in 2026, and nine in ten restaurants have fewer than 50 employees. Multiplied by the EPA's 800 to 17,000 pounds of grease per restaurant per year, that is why nearly every utility runs a FOG program.
Statistic 51
The US restaurant industry comprises more than 1 million restaurant and foodservice outlets, according to the National Restaurant Association's 2025 outlook.
National Restaurant Association, industry forecast release (2025)
Statistic 52
Restaurant and foodservice sales are projected to reach $1.55 trillion in 2026 with employment of 15.8 million, per the National Restaurant Association's 2026 State of the Restaurant Industry report.
National Restaurant Association, State of the Restaurant Industry (2026)
Statistic 53
Nine in ten US restaurants have fewer than 50 employees, according to the National Restaurant Association.
National Restaurant Association, national industry statistics (2026)
What this means: Most of the million-plus outlets are small operators without a facilities team, which is who the 90-day cap and the manifest rule are written for. Grease trap compliance joins hood cleaning and health inspection as the three recurring inspections every kitchen faces; our restaurant fire and hood cleaning statistics and restaurant health inspection statistics cover the other two.
Claims we could not verify
These figures circulate widely on hauler and plumbing blogs. We traced each one. None appears on the page as a statistic.
"FOG causes 47 percent of sewer overflows."
The 47 percent is real, but it is grease's share of reported blockages (Figure 4.11 of the EPA's 2004 Report to Congress), from overflow events reported in 2001 and 2002. Blockages themselves were 48 percent of overflow events, so grease as a share of all overflows works out to roughly a quarter. Many pages attribute the number to "EPA 2012"; the 2012 fact sheet only quotes the 2004 report.
"The 25 percent rule is an EPA requirement."
No federal rule sets a fill threshold. 40 CFR 403.5(b)(3) prohibits "solid or viscous pollutants in amounts which will cause obstruction" and leaves the specifics to local pretreatment programs. The 25 percent figure traces to a 1998 Plumbing and Drainage Institute guide. Austin uses 50 percent and the St. Louis MSD recommends 60 percent.
"Florida saw more than $5 million in sewer blockage penalties in 2024, most tied to overdue grease traps, according to state DEP reports."
Stated on a hauler blog. We could not locate any Florida DEP report with that figure. Not used.
"Grease trap cleaning costs $150 to $500."
Repeated across vendor blogs with no survey behind it. Public bid tabulations show the same job priced 2 to 10 times apart across bidders, and one 2026 directory's own cost guide states it "does not publish an unsupported national range". We show individual bids instead.
"Houston's Code Sec. 47-512 also triggers cleaning at 25 percent of wetted height."
Hauler blogs say so. Houston's own program pages that we could fetch state only the 90-day rule, and the city's code library blocks automated fetches. Houston appears in the table above as "90 days", with the fill trigger marked not confirmed.
Cite this study
Academic or press use: copy a ready-made reference. RapidEye is the publisher.
RapidEye builds inspection intelligence for property operators; this reference exists because the manifest and the depth reading are the two documents that prove a kitchen is compliant, and we think they should be as easy to verify as they are to file.
Quick FAQ
What percentage of sewer blockages are caused by grease?
47 percent. The EPA's 2004 Report to Congress on sewer overflows found grease from restaurants, homes and industrial sources was the most common reported cause of sewer blockages, at 47 percent of blockage events. Grit, rock and debris caused 27 percent and roots 22 percent. Blockages of all kinds caused 48 percent of sanitary sewer overflow events with a known cause. The figure comes from overflow events reported in 2001 and 2002.
What is the 25 percent rule for grease traps?
The 25 percent rule says a grease interceptor must be pumped before floating grease plus settled solids reach 25 percent of its liquid depth. Dallas, San Antonio, Phoenix, Seattle, Louisville, Savannah, Orange County (California) and Bloomington (Indiana) all use it, usually paired with a 90-day maximum interval. It is not a federal rule. Austin uses a 50 percent trigger and the St. Louis MSD recommends 60 percent.
How often does a restaurant grease trap have to be pumped?
At least every 90 days in most large cities, or sooner when the fill trigger is hit. Dallas, Houston, Austin, Louisville and Bloomington all set 90 days as the maximum. Savannah requires at least four cleanings a year. Charlotte Water says outside interceptors quarterly and small under-sink traps monthly. Louisville warns that busy restaurants may need 30-day or 60-day pumping to stay under the 25 percent rule.
How much does grease trap cleaning cost?
Public contracts show a 1,000 gallon interceptor pumped for $190 to $400 per visit (Dallas County, 2009) and $320 (Lubbock County, 2022); a 2,000 gallon tank for $630; and a 3,000 gallon trap for $1,004 to $2,000. Per-gallon haul-and-disposal bids ran $0.20 to $1.95 (IDEA Public Schools) and $0.135 (Fauquier County). Vendor guides quote $125 to $180 for a small indoor trap on a schedule and $225 to $950 for an interceptor.
What are the fines for grease trap violations?
New York City's maximum penalty is $10,000 per day, per violation. Houston citation fines run $250 to $2,000 per violation. Austin treats each missed maintenance or record-keeping requirement as a separate violation with fines and permit revocation possible. Dallas issues citations for having no interceptor, missing the 90-day service, missing manifests, or using an unpermitted hauler.
Data sources
Every figure on this page traces to one of these named public sources, each checked against the original document before publishing.
U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyReport to Congress on sewer overflows (2004); FOG pretreatment fact sheet (2012); SSO program pageepa.gov
Dallas Water UtilitiesPretreatment program FAQ; grease interceptor brochuredallascityhall.com
Houston Public WorksSpecial waste generator permit and FOG program pageshoustonpermittingcenter.org, houstonconsumer.org
Austin WaterGrease trap maintenance requirements pageaustintexas.gov
NYC Department of Environmental ProtectionBusiness grease disposal page and sewer regulations brochurenyc.gov
LA Sanitation and EnvironmentFats, oils and grease program pagesanitation.lacity.gov
Seattle Public UtilitiesFOG guidance for commercial kitchensseattle.gov
City of Phoenix Water ServicesFOG best management practices manual (2024)phoenix.gov
Fairfax County Public WorksHauled wastewater charges pagefairfaxcounty.gov