FAQ /
What Are Summit County's Grease Trap Requirements for Restaurants?
Summit County requires all food service establishments that discharge to the public sewer to install and maintain a grease trap or interceptor sized to their flow rate. You must keep maintenance records and disposal manifests available for inspection. Non-compliance can result in fines and cease-operations orders.
Who Must Comply
Any food service establishment in Summit County with a sewer connection — restaurants, delis, bakeries, cafeterias, food trucks with permanent connections, catering kitchens, church kitchens that serve food regularly, and any other commercial kitchen producing fats, oils, or grease. There is no size exemption. A small deli on Darrow Road has the same basic requirements as a high-volume restaurant in the Marketplace at Four Corners.
What the Regulations Require
- Proper trap sizing: The grease trap or interceptor must be sized to your kitchen's fixture flow rate per Summit County plumbing code.
- Regular maintenance: The trap must be pumped before grease and solids reach 25% of capacity (the 25% rule).
- Licensed waste hauling: Grease waste must be removed by a licensed transporter and disposed of at a licensed facility.
- Documentation: You must keep disposal manifests and maintenance logs on file and available for inspection.
- Accessible trap: The trap lid and access points must be clear and accessible for service and inspection.
What Inspectors Look For
Summit County Public Health inspectors check three things during a grease trap review: Is the trap properly sized and functional? Is it being maintained on a regular schedule? Can you produce the records to prove it? Failing any of those three results in a violation. Restaurants on a scheduled maintenance plan with proper documentation pass every time.
Penalties for Non-Compliance
First violations typically result in a warning with a 30-day correction deadline. If you do not correct the issue, fines follow. Repeat violations bring escalating penalties including daily fines, sewer surcharges, and orders to cease operations. The sewer district can also take separate action if your kitchen is sending excessive FOG into the municipal system.
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