How to choose a grease-trap / FOG hauler

A practical checklist for restaurant and food-service managers. Not legal advice — local ordinance wins.

Who this is for

If you run a restaurant, cafe, school kitchen, hotel kitchen, or any food-service establishment with a grease trap or grease interceptor, you will eventually hire someone to pump it. The wrong hauler is not just a bad vendor — missing manifests, incomplete cleanouts, or unlicensed disposal can show up as a pretreatment or health-department problem.

This page is a practical checklist for picking a FOG (fats, oils, and grease) hauler. It is not legal advice. Rules are set by your city, county, or utility’s pretreatment program — always check your local ordinance.

What “compliant service” usually means

Across many U.S. FOG programs, a compliant pump-out generally means:

The trap or interceptor is fully emptied (floating FOG, liquids, and bottom solids) — not skimmed and topped off.
Removed waste is not poured back into the same (or another) interceptor to shrink the haul volume.
The hauler leaves a manifest / service record with date, volume, facility name/address, and disposal information.
You keep those records on site for the retention period your city requires (commonly 1–3 years; some programs require longer).

Examples of official expectations:

Nashville Metro Water Services requires FSEs to keep grease-control-equipment maintenance records (date, who cleaned, volume in gallons) and a completed grease-waste hauler manifest, available on site for at least three years. Interceptors are generally pumped at least every 90 days unless the utility approves otherwise. Haulers must document problems/defects found during cleaning. (Nashville FOG Policy 2025 PDF)
Florida requires grease waste to be removed by a licensed hauler (with limited self-cleaner exceptions) and documented with a Grease Waste Service Manifest (DEP Form 62-705.300(3)). The manifest must record trap condition, gallons removed, whether the trap was cleaned, and whether graywater was returned. (Florida DEP — Grease Waste; Florida Statute §403.0741; manifest form)
Corpus Christi (Clean Bays / FOG program materials) instructs inspectors to verify manifests, confirm the hauler is on the approved/permitted hauler list, and keep multi-year manifest files on premises. (Corpus Christi FOG manual PDF)
Toronto requires food-service establishments to maintain grease interceptors and keep accurate servicing/disposal records available for inspection, with servicing tied to schedule or the 25% fill rule, whichever comes first. (Toronto — Grease interceptor maintenance)
Pocatello Pretreatment BMP guidance recommends securing a qualified pumping contractor, cleaning on a roughly 60–90 day pattern unless you can document otherwise, and keeping cleaning records. (Pocatello FOG BMP fact sheet)

Your city may use different forms, approved-hauler lists, and retention periods. Ask your wastewater / pretreatment office for the current list and sample manifest.

Checklist — ask these before you hire

Use this as a yes/no list. Prefer haulers who can answer every item with paperwork, not vibes.

Are you licensed / permitted to haul grease waste here?
Ask for the license or permit number and whether your city publishes an approved-hauler list (Florida license; Corpus Christi permitted list; Nashville hauler agreement — patterns vary).
Where do you dispose of the waste?
Named permitted/certified disposal facility — not “we handle it.” Florida’s statute structure explicitly ties haulers to disposal facilities and signed facility sections on the manifest.
Will I get a signed manifest every visit?
Confirm you receive a copy the same day (or electronically if your program allows), with generator, hauler, and later disposal signatures as required locally.
What fields are on your manifest?
At minimum you usually want: date/time, your business name and address, gallons removed, trap/interceptor type or ID, hauler identity, disposal facility, and a statement that the unit was cleaned and graywater was not returned (Florida’s form asks this explicitly).
Do you fully pump (complete cleanout), or skim?
Many ordinances require complete removal of contents. Decanting / returning liquid to reduce haul volume is commonly prohibited (see Haysville, KS code language and Nashville/CSU-style rules against reintroduction).
Will you inspect inlet/outlet tees (or equivalent) and tell us about defects?
Nashville’s policy expects haulers to note tee condition and notify the FSE of defects.
Can you support our required frequency (and emergency callouts)?
Know whether you need 30-, 60-, or 90-day service — or service triggered by the 25% rule. Ask about after-hours rates in writing (do not invent a price here; get their quote).
What insurance and spill response do you carry?
Request certificate of insurance; ask who is on the hook if a hose fails in your parking lot.
Will you help us stay inspection-ready?
Ideal: photo or measurement notes, clear next-due date, and records formatted the way your inspector expects.
Can we witness a cleanout once?
Sanford Sewerage BMP materials note that witnessing cleaning helps confirm you got a full service. Optional, but useful for the first visit with a new vendor.

What to file after every service

Keep a folder (paper or digital) with:

Signed manifest / service ticket
Gallons removed and date
Hauler company name and license/permit ID
Disposal facility name
Any defect notes and repair follow-ups
Your own log line: “next due by ___” based on local schedule or 25% measurements

If an inspector asks and you cannot produce records quickly, that is often a finding by itself — independent of how clean the trap looks today.

Red flags

No license/permit number, or not on your city’s approved list when one exists
Cash-only, no manifest, or a vague “receipt” with no gallons / no disposal site
Offers to “just skim” a gravity interceptor that your code says must be fully pumped
Talk of pouring water or chemicals into the interceptor so grease “flows through” (often a code violation; emulsifying FOG can worsen sewer problems)
Refuses to name the disposal facility
Pressure to skip documentation “because you’re a regular”

How often? (short)

Cleaning frequency is local. Many programs combine:

A calendar maximum (often every 90 days for interceptors; under-sink traps may be more frequent), and
The 25% rule: pump before FOG + settled solids occupy 25% of liquid depth — whichever comes first

See Toronto’s servicing table and Pocatello’s 60–90 day BMP language above. Full schedule detail will live on a future /how-often page.

Sources

Affiliate disclosure

FOG Desk may earn a referral fee when you hire certain listed haulers or related services through links on this site. We only list partners that meet the checklist above. Recommendations are not endorsements by any city or utility. Always verify licenses with your local pretreatment program.

Coming later on this site

/how-often — 25% rule + typical schedules with more municipal examples
/cities/[slug] — your city’s rules + link to the official ordinance
/haulers/[market] — shortlist of licensed haulers (researched; no fake reviews)

No prices invented. No reviews fabricated. Local law wins over this checklist.