Food Truck Grease Trap Cleaning Tampa

Last updated: November 14, 2026

Grease Trap Cleaning Tampa provides food truck grease trap cleaning for mobile food vendors and the commissary kitchens that service them across Tampa, Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco. Food truck grease trap cleaning covers two places grease ends up: a small interceptor on the truck between the sink drains and the wastewater tank, and the trap or interceptor at the commissary where that tank is emptied.

What happens on the first visit

Find where the grease goes. On the truck, at the commissary, or both.
Clean the onboard unit. Emptied, scraped and checked so it doesn't send grease into the wastewater tank.
Service the commissary trap. Cleaned or pumped on the schedule its own jurisdiction sets.
Log it. A signed record for the truck and for the commissary.

Does a food truck need a grease trap?

Florida licenses mobile food dispensing vehicles through DBPR's Division of Hotels and Restaurants and requires them to operate from an approved commissary with adequate facilities for liquid and solid waste disposal (F.A.C. 61C-4.0161). Trucks may not dump wastewater at a private residence. Local programs decide how the grease is caught. Safety Harbor's food-truck permit form, for example, requires wastewater to pass through a grease interceptor: either one built into the truck between the sink drains and the wastewater tank, or the commissary's interceptor.

Either way, the grease ends up in a trap that needs regular cleaning. On the truck it's small and fills fast. At the commissary it takes the load from every truck that dumps there.

Commissary kitchens

A commissary's trap or interceptor follows the rules of the jurisdiction it sits in. That means weekly cleaning for indoor traps in the City of Tampa and Pinellas County, and a 90-day maximum in unincorporated Hillsborough and Pasco. Several trucks emptying wastewater tanks into one unit can push it past 25% well before the calendar says it's due, so commissaries usually do best on a measured maintenance plan. For the commissary's own under-sink traps, see indoor grease trap cleaning.

What's included

Onboard interceptor emptied and scraped
Commissary trap or interceptor serviced
Waste hauled to a permitted facility
Signed record for the truck and the commissary
Schedule set by the commissary's jurisdiction
Fill rate tracked across trucks
Fittings and lids checked
No wastewater returned to any tank

Pricing and payment

Onboard units are priced like small indoor traps. Commissary units are priced by size. Ask for a written quote before any work starts. Prices on this site are typical market ranges, not quotes.

What food truck grease trap cleaning costs in Tampa Bay

Typical market ranges per visit, with the strength of the evidence shown for each.

Indoor / under-sink trap (20–100 gal), per cleaning

$150–$350

per visit

Low confidence

greasetrapflorida.com Tampa Bay range $175–300 (directory, no published methodology)

What changes the price

Tank size and how full it is
Hose run and access from the truck
Disposal fee (sometimes included)
After-hours or emergency timing (+20–100%)

Estimate your annual cost

DIY vs the cheapest hauler vs doing it properly

Comparison of DIY, cheapest hauler and proper service
Factor	Do it yourself	Cheapest hauler	Done properly
What's legal	Small indoor traps only, with a written protocol (Tampa) or under 50 lb capacity (Hillsborough County)	Pump-and-return is banned statewide, but still happens	Full pump-out to empty, as Florida law and every local program require
What gets removed	Floating grease you can scoop	Often just the top layer and some water	Floating grease, gray water, bottom solids, and buildup scraped off walls and baffles
Paperwork	Your own log entry	A receipt, sometimes	Signed manifest with volume, condition and disposal ticket number
Checked against the rule	Rarely measured	Not measured	Grease and solids depth measured against your jurisdiction's limit
Problems spotted	Only what you can see	Usually not reported	Cracked baffles, missing tees and flow-control issues noted in writing
Real cost	Staff time; risk of a failed inspection	Low price, then repeat clogs and re-inspection fees	A known price per visit on the schedule your rule sets

Related resources

How food truck grease trap cleaning works

Step 1: First call

Tell us the kitchen's address, what kind of unit you have, and when it was last pumped. We tell you which rule applies and give a price range on the phone.
Step 2: On-site check

We open the lids, measure grease and solids depth, and look at the baffles, tees and outlet. Ask for a written quote before work starts.
Step 3: Full pump-out

The unit is pumped to empty, walls and baffles are scraped, and the inlet and outlet are checked for flow.
Step 4: Manifest and schedule

You get a signed manifest for your logbook and a suggested date for the next visit, set by your rule and how fast the unit filled.

What the work looks like

Illustrative photos of the work described on this page.

Food Truck Grease Trap Cleaning questions

Does a food truck need a grease trap in Florida?

Florida requires food trucks to operate from an approved commissary that handles their wastewater. Local permits decide whether the grease interceptor sits on the truck or at the commissary. Either way, a trap has to catch the grease and be cleaned.

Can I empty my truck's wastewater tank anywhere?

No. Florida rule 61C-4.0161 bars disposing of wastewater at a private residence, and requires an approved commissary with proper waste disposal facilities.

How often should a commissary's grease trap be cleaned?

By the rule where the commissary sits, and sooner if several trucks push it past 25%. Measuring at each visit is the only reliable way to set the interval.

Do you clean the onboard interceptor too?

Yes. It is emptied, scraped and checked so grease doesn't reach the wastewater tank.

Do I get paperwork I can show an inspector?

Yes. Every pump-out ends with a signed service manifest showing the date, the volume removed, the condition of the unit, confirmation that nothing was returned to it, and the disposal facility's ticket number. Florida law (F.S. 403.0741) requires you to keep that manifest on site for at least a year, and some local programs ask for three.

Food Truck Grease Trap Cleaning in Tampa