Grease Interceptor Requirements for NYC Food Service
NYC DEP requires every business disposing of grease, fats or oil to install and maintain a properly sized grease interceptor, cleaned as frequently as necessary to avoid exceeding its rated capacity.
Verified against primary sources on 22 September 2026. Regulations change — confirm against the linked agency pages before relying on a deadline.
If your business puts fats, oils or grease down a drain in New York City, DEP requires a properly sized and correctly maintained grease interceptor. That covers restaurants, cafeterias, clubs, butcher shops, fish markets, delicatessens, slaughterhouses and supermarket food preparation areas.
The cleaning standard, stated accurately
DEP's published requirement is that an interceptor be cleaned as frequently as necessary to avoid exceeding its rated capacity. That is the rule as written — a performance standard, not a fixed interval.
A note on the "25% rule." Many contractor and service-company pages state that NYC requires cleaning once grease and solids reach 25% of capacity. That figure is a widely used industry rule of thumb, drawn from plumbing-code practice elsewhere, and it is a sensible operating trigger. But it does not appear in DEP's published requirement for New York City, and we are not going to present it to you as law. Use it as good practice; comply with the capacity standard.
In practice the interval follows volume. A high-turnover kitchen may need monthly service; a low-volume operation may hold quarterly. The number that matters is not the calendar, it is whether the unit is approaching its rated capacity between services.
Who may install it, and who may take the grease away
Interceptors must be installed by a licensed plumber. Collected grease must go to a fat renderer or grease recycling company, and haulers must appear on the NYC Business Integrity Commission's list of Trade Waste Approved Companies. Using an unapproved hauler is its own violation, separate from anything to do with the interceptor.
The penalty
The maximum penalty for non-compliance is currently $10,000 per day, per violation. Inspectors can also order the installation of a properly sized unit where the existing interceptor is inadequate — which, for a kitchen that has grown its menu since the unit was specified, is a real possibility.
Sizing is where kitchens get caught
The most common failure we see is not a neglected cleaning schedule. It is an interceptor that was correctly sized for the kitchen that existed when it was installed, and has since been asked to handle a fryer bank, a combi oven and double the covers. It cannot keep up, it exceeds capacity between services no matter how often it is pumped, and the grease goes into the line.
Where Relion fits
We are not a grease hauler — that requires BIC licensing, and it is a different business. What we handle is the plumbing side: the kitchen drain lines that back up when an interceptor is overwhelmed, hydro-jetting lines that have narrowed with grease build-up, camera inspection to find where a blockage actually sits, and the repair work when a line has failed.
That work tends to arrive at the worst moment — a blocked kitchen line during service. We dispatch 24 hours a day: (516) 716-0989. See commercial plumbing services.
Sources
Every regulatory figure on this page is taken from the issuing agency, not from secondary summaries.
Questions We Get Asked
How often does a grease interceptor have to be cleaned in NYC?
NYC DEP's requirement is that it be cleaned as frequently as necessary to avoid exceeding its rated capacity, rather than on a fixed interval. Many operators use a 25 percent of capacity trigger as an industry rule of thumb, but that figure is not part of DEP's published requirement for New York City.
Which businesses need a grease interceptor in New York City?
Every business that disposes of grease, fats or oil, including restaurants, cafeterias, clubs, butcher shops, slaughterhouses, fish markets, supermarket food processing areas and delicatessens.
What is the penalty for grease interceptor violations in NYC?
The maximum penalty is currently $10,000 per day, per violation. Inspectors may also order installation of a properly sized unit where the existing interceptor is inadequate.
Who is allowed to haul grease from a NYC restaurant?
Grease must be collected by a fat renderer or grease recycling company, and the hauler must be on the NYC Business Integrity Commission's list of Trade Waste Approved Companies.
My kitchen drain keeps backing up even though the trap is serviced. Why?
The most common cause is an interceptor that is undersized for the kitchen's current output. If the menu, equipment or covers have grown since the unit was specified, it can exceed capacity between services no matter how often it is pumped, and grease carries into the line. Camera inspection of the line will show where build-up actually sits.
Need This Work Done?
Relion self-performs across New York State, with 24/7 dispatch.