# Grease Trap Inspection Tampa | Pre-Inspection & Purchase > Grease trap inspection in Tampa Bay before the city inspector arrives or before you buy a restaurant: depths, baffles, flow control and records, in writing. URL: https://greasetrapcleaningtampa.com/grease-trap-inspection/ # Grease Trap Inspection in Tampa A written check of the trap, its fittings and your records, before a city inspector or a buyer finds the problem. [Call Now (727) 476-9241](tel:+17274769241) [Request a Quote](https://greasetrapcleaningtampa.com/contact/) - Quotes by phone - Published price ranges - Signed manifest every visit - Hillsborough, Pinellas & Pasco ![Technician inspecting the inside of an open grease interceptor with a flashlight in a Tampa parking lot](https://greasetrapcleaningtampa.com/images/inspecting-open-grease-interceptor-with-flashlight-tampa-1280.webp) - Full pump-out, no pump-and-return (F.S. 403.0741) - 25% grease + solids rule - Manifest kept on site 1–3 years by local rule - Haulers licensed under F.A.C. 62-705 Last updated: November 14, 2026 [Grease Trap Cleaning Tampa](https://greasetrapcleaningtampa.com/) carries out grease trap inspections for restaurants, landlords and buyers across Tampa, Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco. A grease trap inspection opens and measures the trap or interceptor, checks every fitting an inspector checks, reviews your logbook and manifests, and gives you a written report of what passes and what doesn't. Two kinds of customer book one. Operators want to find problems before the City or County inspector does. Buyers and tenants want to know what they are taking on, because in the City of Tampa a sale or change of ownership is one of the triggers that lets the City require a new or upgraded trap. ## What happens on the first visit 1. **Open and measure.** Grease and solids depth against your jurisdiction's limit (25% in most programs, 20% in Pasco, 6 in grease and 8 in solids in Pinellas County). 2. **Check the fittings.** Baffles, inlet and outlet tees, lids and risers. On indoor traps, the flow-control device and the vent (Tampa requires the vent to end at least 6 inches above the flood rim). 3. **Check the connections.** Every grease-producing fixture should drain through the unit, and no restroom waste may enter it. 4. **Review the records.** Logbook, manifests and receipts against the retention period your program sets. 5. **Report.** A written list of what passes, what fails, and what to fix first. ## What a city or county inspector looks for Local programs inspect on their own schedule. Hillsborough County runs scheduled and unannounced visits and may take wastewater samples. The City of Tampa inspects as often as it considers necessary, and St. Petersburg says the same. Inspectors open the unit, check its condition, and ask for your records. In St. Petersburg they also ask whether your staff follow the city's best-management practices. A pre-inspection runs the same checks first. See [what grease trap inspectors look for](https://greasetrapcleaningtampa.com/guide/what-grease-inspectors-check/). ## Inspection before buying or leasing a restaurant In the City of Tampa, the grease program can require an existing facility to install a new trap or interceptor, or repair a non-compliant one, when any of several conditions apply. These include a sale or change of ownership, remodelling that needs a plumbing permit, no trap at all, a defective trap, or grease levels in the wastewater above 400 mg/l (Tampa Code Sec. 26-306(b)(2)). A new 750–1,500 gallon interceptor costs $4,000–$8,500 installed, according to the City's own FAQ. That's worth knowing before you sign. A pre-purchase inspection documents the trap's size, condition, connections and records so the cost lands in the negotiation, not on you after closing. See [grease trap rules when buying a restaurant](https://greasetrapcleaningtampa.com/guide/buying-a-restaurant-grease-trap/). ## What's included - Grease and solids depth measured - Baffles, tees, lids and risers checked - Flow-control device and vent checked on indoor traps - Fixture connections and no-sanitary-waste check - Logbook and manifests reviewed - Written pass/fail report - Fix-first list in priority order - Pre-purchase findings for buyers and brokers ## Pricing and payment Inspections are priced per visit and quoted on the call, based on the number and type of units and whether a pump-out is done in the same visit. Ask for a written quote before any work starts. Prices on this site are typical market ranges, not quotes. Talk to a person Call any time. If we can't pick up, leave a message and you'll get a call back. [(727) 476-9241](tel:+17274769241) Rules we work to - Tampa Code Sec. 26-305, 26-306 - Hillsborough County Ch. 120 Art. VII - Pinellas County Code Sec. 126-613 - St. Petersburg FOG BMP Manual - Florida Building Code – Plumbing ## DIY vs the cheapest hauler vs doing it properly 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 - [Buying a Restaurant? Grease Trap Requirements to CheckWhy a change of ownership matters to the grease program, and the checks to make before you sign.](https://greasetrapcleaningtampa.com/guide/buying-a-restaurant-grease-trap/) - [What Grease Trap Records and Manifests Does Florida Require?What a valid service manifest contains, who signs it, and the record-keeping rules that sit on top of it in each Tampa Bay program.](https://greasetrapcleaningtampa.com/guide/grease-trap-records-manifests-florida/) - [Got a Grease Trap Notice of Violation? What to Do NextThe deadlines that start the moment the notice lands, what to do first, and how to make sure the re-inspection passes.](https://greasetrapcleaningtampa.com/guide/grease-trap-notice-of-violation/) - [What Do Grease Trap Inspectors Look For?The checklist city and county grease inspectors work through, and how to pass it before they arrive.](https://greasetrapcleaningtampa.com/guide/what-grease-inspectors-check/) ## How grease trap inspection works 1. 01 ### 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. 2. 02 ### 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. 3. 03 ### Full pump-out The unit is pumped to empty, walls and baffles are scraped, and the inlet and outlet are checked for flow. 4. 04 ### 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. - ![Flashlight beam on a grease trap baffle during an inspection](https://greasetrapcleaningtampa.com/images/flashlight-on-grease-trap-baffle-inspection-1024.webp) - ![Corroded and broken baffle wall found inside a grease interceptor](https://greasetrapcleaningtampa.com/images/corroded-broken-baffle-inside-grease-interceptor-1024.webp) - ![Tape measure held across an open grease interceptor during an inspection](https://greasetrapcleaningtampa.com/images/tape-measure-across-interceptor-opening-1024.webp) - ![Flow-control fitting on the drain line ahead of an under-sink grease trap](https://greasetrapcleaningtampa.com/images/flow-control-device-under-restaurant-sink-1024.webp) Inspection coming up? Get checked first. Call now. Call any time. If we can't pick up, leave a message and you'll get a call back. [(727) 476-9241](tel:+17274769241) [Request a quote](https://greasetrapcleaningtampa.com/contact/) ## Grease Trap Inspection questions ### Will a grease trap inspection get me ready for the city inspector? It runs the same checks the inspector does: depths, fittings, connections and records. Anything that fails is listed in writing, with what to fix first. ### Does buying a restaurant in Tampa mean I need a new grease trap? Not automatically. A sale or change of ownership lets the City require a new or upgraded trap if the current one doesn't comply. An inspection before closing tells you which side of that line you're on. ### What records should I have ready? Your maintenance logbook and every pump-out manifest and receipt. Keep at least a year in the City of Tampa and three years in Pinellas County, Pasco County and Temple Terrace. ### Can you pump the trap in the same visit? Yes. Many inspections finish with a full pump-out, so the unit leaves the visit compliant and documented. ### 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. ## Related services - [Grease Trap Repair](https://greasetrapcleaningtampa.com/grease-trap-repair/) - [Grease Trap Maintenance Plans](https://greasetrapcleaningtampa.com/grease-trap-maintenance-plans/) - [Grease Interceptor Pumping](https://greasetrapcleaningtampa.com/grease-interceptor-pumping/) Get a price for your kitchen today. Call any time. If we can't pick up, leave a message and you'll get a call back. [(727) 476-9241](tel:+17274769241) [Request a quote](https://greasetrapcleaningtampa.com/contact/)