Grease Trap Requirements
Miami, FL

FOG Compliance in Miami, FL

Food service establishments in Miami operate under a combination of federal EPA pretreatment standards, Florida 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 6,089 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 Miami, the rule is: As specified in FOG permit conditions. This places it among the strictest tier of US jurisdictions, alongside most of Houston-area and high-volume Los Angeles County restaurants.

Miami requires a dedicated FOG permit for any food service establishment generating fats, oils, and grease. The annual permit fee is Initial FOG-1 permit application fee approximately $200; annual renewal fee approximately $65. Fees subject to update per Miami-Dade fee schedule.. The permit is separate from, and in addition to, the plumbing permit required at installation. Violations carry maximum penalties of Up to $15,000 per day per violation under Miami-Dade County Code. Civil penalties and administrative enforcement actions including cease-and-desist orders. , in line with typical US municipal penalties. Fines typically escalate with repeat violations, and severe discharges that cause sanitary sewer overflows can trigger federal Clean Water Act penalties layered on top of local fines.

Miami 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. Inspections conducted by Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department (WASD) on a routine basis; typically annually for compliant FSEs, more frequently for high-risk or non-compliant establishments. Unannounced inspections authorized.. 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 Miami-Dade County Water and Sewer Department (WASD), Environmental Compliance Section; Miami-Dade Permitting and Inspection Center, 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.