Florida Grease & Used Cooking Oil Disposal Rules for Restaurants (2026 Guide)

If you run a restaurant, food truck, hotel kitchen, or catering operation in Florida, you deal with two kinds of grease every day: the used cooking oil that comes out of your fryers, and the grease waste that collects in your grease trap or interceptor. Florida treats these differently, and knowing the difference helps you stay compliant, avoid fines, and keep your drains flowing.

This guide gives a plain-English overview of the state rules and points you to where local rules apply. It is not legal advice. Requirements vary by city, county, and utility, so always check with your local utility or FOG (fats, oils, and grease) program for the rules where your kitchen operates.

Used Cooking Oil vs. Grease Trap Waste: Why the Difference Matters

Used cooking oil (often called "yellow grease") is the oil you drain from fryers and collect in a dedicated container. It is a recyclable material, and it is the oil a collection service like Cooking Oil Recyclers picks up.

Grease trap waste is the mix of fats, oils, grease, and food solids that builds up in your grease trap or interceptor from dishwashing and sink drains.

Florida's grease waste law, Section 403.0741, Florida Statutes, defines a grease trap or interceptor as a receptacle that wastewater flows through, and it specifically states that the term does not include receptacles designed for collecting used cooking oil. In practice, your fryer-oil container and your grease trap are handled under different rules.

What Florida Law Requires for Grease Trap Waste

Under Section 403.0741, F.S., and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) rule Chapter 62-705, F.A.C., the main points for restaurants (called "originators" in the law) are:

• Licensed haulers only. Grease waste must be removed by a grease waste hauler licensed by DEP, unless you qualify as a "self-cleaner" under the rule. DEP describes a self-cleaner as an originator that removes and transports its own grease waste in small quantities (DEP lists less than 55 gallons).
• Approved disposal. Haulers must take grease waste to a permitted or certified disposal facility. They may not return grease waste or graywater to your trap, or dump it anywhere else.
• A service manifest for every cleaning. Each removal must be documented on a Grease Waste Service Manifest. It records the originator, the hauler, the disposal facility, the condition of your trap, the amount removed, and the amount disposed of.
• Signatures. If the cleaning happens during your business hours, you and the hauler both sign the manifest and you receive a copy. If it happens while you're closed, the hauler signs it and leaves a copy where you've designated, or provides it electronically.
• Copies to local government. The hauler must provide the completed manifest to you and to the county and municipality where your restaurant is located.
• Inspections and fines. DEP and local inspecting entities can inspect grease traps. The DEP rule allows an inspecting entity to impose an administrative fine for each failure to clean a grease trap or interceptor.

Tip: Keep your manifests organized and easy to find. Inspectors often ask for them, and many local programs set their own record-keeping periods.

Local FOG Programs: Where the Details Live

Florida's state law sets the baseline, but your local utility usually sets the day-to-day rules: how often you clean, how you report, and how long you keep records. For example, the Emerald Coast Utilities Authority (ECUA), which serves the Pensacola area, publishes FOG requirements for food service establishments that include:

• Servicing interceptors so they don't exceed the "25% rule" (grease and solids taking up 25% or more of capacity).
• Minimum cleaning frequencies for under-sink grease traps.
• Returning hauler manifests to the utility within a set number of days.
• Keeping maintenance and training records for a set number of years.

Other Florida utilities, from Central Florida to the east coast, run their own programs with their own forms and schedules. Call or check the website of the utility that bills your sewer service to confirm what applies to you.

Best Practices That Keep You Compliant

Most FOG programs and the U.S. EPA recommend similar kitchen habits:

1. Never pour fryer oil down a drain. Not into sinks, floor drains, or mop sinks. Collect it in a dedicated used cooking oil container.
2. Scrape and dry-wipe plates, pots, and pans into the trash before washing.
3. Use sink strainers to catch food solids.
4. Keep your oil container lid closed so rainwater doesn't get in and cause overflows.
5. Absorb small spills with absorbent material and sweep them up instead of hosing them into drains.
6. Schedule grease trap cleaning before it's overdue. See our guide, How Often Should a Grease Trap Be Cleaned?
7. Train staff, and post "no grease down the drain" signs at sinks.

The EPA explains why this matters: grease that reaches sewers solidifies, reduces pipe capacity, and contributes to blockages and sanitary sewer overflows. Local utilities use their pretreatment authority to control it.

How Cooking Oil Recyclers Helps

We make the grease side of your kitchen simple:

• Used cooking oil collection with a free locking container and scheduled pickups. We pay rebates for your oil, including cash (We Pay Cash), services, or products. Learn how restaurants get paid for used cooking oil.
• Grease trap cleaning with a full pump-out, scraping, an inspection, licensed disposal, and a service record/manifest after every cleaning for your health inspector and local FOG program.
• Container area and driveway cleaning, so the back of your building stays clean.

We serve restaurants and commercial kitchens, and residential customers too, across Florida, including Orlando, Jacksonville, Pensacola, Daytona Beach, and West Palm Beach, plus areas of Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and South Carolina. See our service areas.

Ready to get set up? Call (407) 329-6626 (7 AM – 8 PM) or request a free pickup online. It takes under 2 minutes.

FAQ

Is used cooking oil regulated the same way as grease trap waste in Florida? No. Florida's grease waste statute (403.0741, F.S.) covers material from grease traps and interceptors, and it excludes receptacles designed to collect used cooking oil. Your local utility may still have rules about how you store and handle fryer oil, so check with them.

Do I need a manifest for every grease trap cleaning? Under Florida law, the hauler must document each grease waste removal on a service manifest and give you a copy. Our grease trap service includes a manifest after every cleaning.

How often do I have to clean my grease trap in Florida? It depends on your local utility and your kitchen's volume. Many programs use the 25% rule. Check your utility's FOG program for the exact schedule.

Can I clean my own grease trap? Florida's DEP rule allows "self-cleaners" in limited situations. Check DEP's grease waste page and your local utility before doing it yourself.

Who do I contact about local FOG rules? Contact the utility that provides your sewer service. Most publish FOG program requirements online.

Sources

• Florida Statutes §403.0741, Grease waste removal and disposal
• Florida DEP, Grease Waste program
• Florida Administrative Code 62-705.300, Grease Waste Hauler Requirements
• Florida DEP, Grease Waste Service Manifest example
• ECUA (Pensacola area), FOG FAQs
• U.S. EPA, Controlling FOG Discharges from Food Service Establishments