Grease Trap Requirements
Los Angeles, CA

FOG Compliance in Los Angeles, CA

Food service establishments in Los Angeles operate under a combination of federal EPA pretreatment standards, California state plumbing code, and city-level FOG ordinances. Together these rules determine how grease traps must be sized, how often they must be pumped, and what happens when a restaurant falls out of compliance. The city has approximately 23,693 food service establishments — every one of them subject to the rules summarized below.

Pumping frequency is the compliance rule restaurant owners interact with most often. In Los Angeles, the rule is: Clean often enough that combined FOG and solids do not exceed 25% of the interceptor's liquid depth. This aligns with the 90-day US median enforced by most major cities.

Los Angeles requires a dedicated FOG permit for any food service establishment generating fats, oils, and grease. The annual permit fee is Industrial Wastewater Permit required; confirm the current application and annual inspection/control fees with LA Sanitation. The permit is separate from, and in addition to, the plumbing permit required at installation.

Los Angeles enforces the 25 percent rule: grease traps must be pumped before the combined FOG and settled solids reach 25 percent of the trap's total liquid depth. Inspectors measure the depth with a sludge judge or dipstick, typically at surprise visits. Exceeding the threshold at inspection triggers a notice of violation and mandatory emergency pump-out, regardless of the scheduled pumping cycle. LA Sanitation inspects grease interceptors and traps; no universal inspection interval confirmed in the sources reviewed. Establishments must maintain pumping logs, hauler manifests, and inspection reports on-site — missing records is itself a violation in most enforcement actions. Enforcement authority rests with the LA Bureau of Sanitation, Industrial Waste Management Division, which handles permit issuance, inspections, and hauler licensing.

For a deeper explanation of the rules this city enforces, read our guides on how grease traps work and the 25/50 pumping rule.