Indoor Grease Trap Cleaning in Tampa

Under-sink and in-floor grease traps cleaned out, scraped, logged and hauled away, on the weekly-minimum rule most Tampa Bay programs set for indoor units.

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Quotes by phone
Published price ranges
Signed manifest every visit
Hillsborough, Pinellas & Pasco

Technician kneeling at an open under-sink grease trap below a stainless three-compartment sink in a Tampa restaurant kitchen

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 provides indoor grease trap cleaning for restaurants, cafés, bakeries and commissary kitchens across Tampa, Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco. Indoor grease trap cleaning covers the smaller units that sit under a three-compartment sink or set into the kitchen floor: the trap is emptied, the baffles and walls are scraped, the flow-control device is checked, and the grease leaves with a registered hauler.

Indoor traps fill fast because they are small. The City of Tampa, Temple Terrace, Pinellas County and St. Petersburg all require them to be opened and cleaned at least once a week. Most kitchens split the work: staff handle the weekly clean-out under a written protocol, and a hauler does a full cleaning and takes the waste away on a set schedule.

What happens on the first visit

The first visit sets the schedule as much as it cleans the trap:

Measure. We lift the lid and record how much of the trap is grease and solids, against the 25% line (20% in Pasco County).
Empty and scrape. Grease, water and solids come out; the baffles and walls are scraped; the outlet is cleared.
Check the fittings. The flow-control device, vent and lid gasket are checked. A missing flow-control device is one of the first things a Tampa inspector looks for.
Log and haul. You get a signed record for your logbook, and the waste goes to a permitted disposal facility.

Can your staff clean the trap themselves?

Sometimes, within limits that change by jurisdiction:

City of Tampa: a facility may hire a registered hauler or write its own cleaning protocol and do the work in-house. Grease removed in-house can go out with the trash only if it is solid, dry, mixed with an absorbent, bagged or sealed, and no more than 5 pounds (Tampa Code Sec. 26-306(f)). More than that needs a registered hauler.
Unincorporated Hillsborough County: only under-counter traps holding less than 50 pounds of grease may be self-cleaned, with the waste going to solid waste.
Pinellas County and St. Petersburg: weekly cleaning recorded in a bound logbook. St. Petersburg also expects a written cleaning protocol on file.

In practice, staff do the weekly scoop and log it, and a hauler handles the deep clean, the solids and the disposal paperwork. See can I clean my own grease trap?

Automatic grease removal devices (AGRDs)

An automatic grease removal device skims floating grease into a removable container on a timer, so staff empty a container instead of scooping a trap. It cuts down the weekly mess. It doesn't remove the need for service: solids still settle in the tank, the strainer basket fills, and the skimmer, heater and container seals wear out.

We service AGRDs the same way as any indoor trap: the tank is emptied and scraped, the solids basket cleared, and the skimmer and container checked. The visit is logged like any other cleaning. In the City of Tampa, adding any chemical, enzyme or bacteria product to a trap or AGRD needs the grease inspector's approval first (Sec. 26-306(g)).

Trap or interceptor? Make sure you book the right service

The City of Tampa treats a unit inside the building rated at 50 gallons per minute or less as a grease trap, and an outdoor, in-ground tank above 50 gpm or holding 750 gallons or more as an interceptor. If yours sits outside under a manhole cover, you want grease interceptor pumping. Food trucks and commissaries have their own page: food truck grease trap cleaning.

What's included

Grease and solids depth measured before cleaning
Trap emptied: grease, water and solids
Baffles, walls and outlet scraped and cleared
Flow-control device, vent and lid gasket checked
AGRD tank, basket and skimmer serviced
Waste hauled to a permitted disposal facility
Signed record for your logbook
Cleaning schedule set by your rule and fill rate

Pricing and payment

Indoor trap cleaning is priced per visit, mainly by trap size, how much has built up since the last cleaning, and how often you book. The band below is a typical Tampa Bay range from one commercial source, so it carries low confidence. Ask for a written quote before any work starts. Prices on this site are typical market ranges, not quotes.

What indoor 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)
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)

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 indoor 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.

Before and after

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

Under-sink grease trap before cleaning, packed with congealed grease — Before

The same under-sink grease trap after cleaning, baffles clear — After

Indoor Grease Trap Cleaning questions

How often does an indoor grease trap need cleaning?

At least weekly in the City of Tampa, Temple Terrace, Pinellas County and St. Petersburg, and before grease and solids reach 25% of the trap. Unincorporated Hillsborough sets a 90-day maximum with the same 25% limit. Pasco County requires under-sink units to be cleaned at least weekly.

Can we throw the grease from the trap in the dumpster?

In the City of Tampa, only if it is solid, dry, mixed with an absorbent, sealed in a bag or container, and no more than 5 pounds. Anything more has to leave with a registered hauler.

Do enzyme or bacteria products replace cleaning?

No. They don't remove solids, and in the City of Tampa they need the grease inspector's approval before use. Clearwater bans emulsifiers and grease cutters outright. See enzymes vs pumping.

Do you service automatic grease removal devices?

Yes. The tank is emptied and scraped, the solids basket cleared, and the skimmer and container checked, with the visit logged like any other cleaning.

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.