Grease Interceptor Pumping in Tampa

Last updated: November 14, 2026

Grease Trap Cleaning Tampa pumps and cleans outdoor grease interceptors for restaurants, hotels and shared plazas across Tampa, Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco. A grease interceptor pumping visit removes everything in the tank (floating grease, gray water and settled solids), scrapes the walls and baffles, and ends with a signed manifest you keep for your inspector.

Under the City of Tampa's definition, an outdoor interceptor holds 750 gallons or more. How often yours has to be pumped depends less on its size than on where the kitchen sits. The City of Tampa sets no fixed number of days. Unincorporated Hillsborough and Pasco allow up to 90. Pinellas County, St. Petersburg and Largo expect roughly monthly service.

What happens on the first visit

The first visit is a pump-out and an assessment in one trip. Expect four things:

Measure before pumping. We open every lid and record the depth of the floating grease cap and the settled solids at the outlet side. That number tells you whether your current schedule is keeping you under your jurisdiction's limit.
Pump to empty. Everything comes out: grease cap, gray water and bottom solids. Nothing goes back in.
Scrape and inspect. Walls, baffles and piping are scraped, and the inlet and outlet tees, baffle wall and lids are checked for cracks or missing parts.
Document. You get a signed manifest and a written note of anything that needs repair, plus a recommended date for the next pump-out.

How often a grease interceptor must be pumped in Tampa Bay

There is no single Florida pumping interval. State law (F.S. 403.0741) governs how grease is hauled and documented, not how often. The schedule comes from whichever city or county runs the sewer your kitchen drains into, and a "Tampa" mailing address does not always mean City of Tampa rules.

Grease interceptor pumping rules by jurisdiction in Tampa Bay
Where the kitchen drains	Interval	The rule
City of Tampa	No fixed days	Pump before solids pass the outlet invert (~8 in), grease and solids exceed 25% of capacity, the unit stops retaining grease, a backup occurs, or sanitary waste enters. Tampa Code Ch. 26 Art. VII, Sec. 26-306
Hillsborough County (unincorporated)	At least every 90 days	Serviced at least every 90 days; contents never over 25% of wetted volume; alternate schedules by individual approval. Hillsborough County Grease Management FAQ (Ch. 120 / Ord. 06-31 Art. VII)
City of Temple Terrace	No fixed days	Pump when solids pass the outlet invert (~8 in), grease and solids exceed 25%, or the unit stops retaining grease. Temple Terrace Code Sec. 22-304
Pinellas County Utilities	At least every 30 days	Pumped at least every 30 days; grease layer under 6 in and solids under 8 in; variance never over 180 days, voided if missed, not transferable. Pinellas County Code Sec. 126-613
City of St. Petersburg	At least every 30 days	Pumped at least monthly; variance fee $275, maximum 180 days. City of St. Petersburg FOG Best Management Practices Manual
City of Clearwater	Set by the city	In-ground interceptors monitored at least every 90 operational days; the Public Works Administrator sets each facility's pumping schedule; alternate frequencies on request; pump until empty and clean walls, baffles and pipes. Clearwater Code Sec. 32.189
City of Largo	At least every 30 days	Contents removed once per 30 operational days unless the control authority approves an alternate frequency. Largo Code Sec. 23-120
Pasco County Utilities	At least every 90 days	Cleaned and pumped every 90 days, or sooner once FOG and food sludge reach 20% of volume; pump until empty and clean walls, cross pipes, inlet and outlet. Pasco County Code Sec. 110-174
State of Florida	No fixed days	No pumping frequency set. Haulers may not return grease waste or graywater to the trap and must dispose at a permitted facility. F.S. 403.0741; F.A.C. 62-705

Two rules apply almost everywhere on top of the day count: pump before grease and solids take up a quarter of the tank (one-fifth in Pasco), and pump after any backup. A busy kitchen on a 90-day county rule can still need monthly service to stay under 25%.

What a full pump-out includes, and what decanting skips

Tampa's ordinance spells out what a pump-out means: "complete removal of all contents, including floating materials, gray water, bottom sludge, and solids," plus scraping "the walls, floors, baffles, and all piping" (Tampa Code Sec. 26-306). Pinellas County bans decanting, skimming and backwashing outright. Since July 2022, Florida law has also barred any hauler from returning grease waste or gray water to the tank.

Decanting, where the water is pumped back after the grease is skimmed, makes a truck go further. It also leaves solids behind, so the 25% line comes back sooner and the outlet keeps clogging. A full pump-out costs more per visit, and it is the only version that actually resets the tank.

The same ordinance makes the hauler responsible for checking the interceptor during or right after pumping and telling the owner in writing if anything is not working. That written note is worth keeping: it starts your repair timeline before an inspector does.

Grease interceptor or grease trap? Check before you book

The City of Tampa defines a grease trap as a unit inside the building rated at 50 gallons per minute or less, and an interceptor as an outdoor, in-ground tank rated above 50 gpm or holding 750 gallons or more. The difference matters. Indoor traps have to be opened and cleaned at least weekly in most local programs, while interceptors run on longer, condition-based schedules and must be pumped by a registered hauler.

If the unit sits under a sink or in the floor of the kitchen, you want indoor grease trap cleaning instead. If several restaurants share one tank behind a plaza, see shared grease interceptor service.

What's included

Every lid opened; grease and solids depth measured and recorded
Pumped to empty, with no decanting or water returned
Walls, baffles and piping scraped
Inlet and outlet tees checked for flow and damage
Written note of any cracked baffle, missing tee or damaged lid
Waste hauled to a permitted disposal facility
Signed manifest with the disposal ticket number
Next pump-out date set by your rule and fill rate

Pricing and payment

Grease interceptor pumping is priced per visit, by tank size, how full it is, how far the hose has to run, and the disposal fee. Typical Tampa Bay ranges are below, with how strong the evidence is for each. Ask for a written quote before any work starts. Prices on this site are typical market ranges, not quotes.

What grease interceptor pumping costs in Tampa Bay

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

Interceptor 500–1,000 gal, per pump-out

$300–$550

per visit

Medium confidence

greasetrapflorida.com Tampa Bay $300–550; Brevard County public bid B-5-25-03 (Oct 2024) awarded $0.20 and $1.10 per gallon standard time (Florida, not Tampa Bay)
Interceptor 1,000–1,500 gal, per pump-out

$400–$650

per visit

Medium confidence

Florida size table $400–600; Brevard public bid $0.20–$1.10/gal (≈$200–$1,650)
Interceptor 1,500–2,500 gal, per pump-out

$500–$850

per visit

Medium confidence

Florida size table $500–800; Brevard public bid ≈$300–$2,750 (wide spread)

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 grease interceptor pumping 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.

What a full pump-out removes

Illustrative photos showing the same unit before and after. Not a customer job.

Grease interceptor before pumping, with a thick grease cap covering the surface — Before

The same grease interceptor after pumping: emptied and scraped clean — After

Grease Interceptor Pumping questions

How long does a grease interceptor pump-out take?

Typically one to two hours on site for a restaurant interceptor. The main variables are tank size, how far the hose has to run from the truck, and how hard the grease cap has set since the last visit.

Do we have to close the kitchen during pumping?

No. Hold off on running dishwashers and sinks into the line while the tank is being emptied and scraped, so the crew is not pumping fresh water. Many kitchens book early-morning or between-service visits.

Can you pump it cheaper by putting the water back?

No. Florida law (F.S. 403.0741) has barred haulers from returning grease waste or gray water to the tank since July 2022, and Pinellas County bans decanting and skimming outright. A pump-out that returns water also leaves solids behind, so the tank fills back to 25% sooner.

What if the interceptor is damaged?

You get a written description of the problem at the end of the visit. In the City of Tampa, a Notice of Violation gives 60 days to repair an interceptor and six months to replace one, so a written note from your hauler gives you a head start. See grease trap repair.

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.