FOG Compliance for Restaurants

If you run a restaurant or commercial kitchen, “FOG compliance” isn’t optional — it’s the set of local rules governing how you manage the fats, oils, and grease your kitchen produces. Fall out of compliance and you’re looking at fines, failed inspections, and even shutdowns. Here’s a plain-English guide to staying inspection-ready.

What Is FOG Compliance?

Cities and sanitation districts require food-service businesses to keep fats, oils, and grease out of the public sewer, because FOG hardens in pipes and causes blockages and overflows. To do that, your kitchen must have an appropriately sized grease trap or interceptor, keep it maintained, and prove it’s being serviced.

What Inspectors Typically Check

• A properly sized, functioning grease trap or interceptor for your kitchen’s output.
• Grease levels below the allowed threshold (commonly the 25% rule).
• Service records — dates, volumes pumped, and the licensed hauler used.
• Manifests showing the grease was disposed of at an approved facility.
• No signs of grease entering floor drains or the sewer line.

The Records You Need to Keep

Documentation is where many kitchens get caught out. For each service, keep a record of the date, the trap serviced, the volume removed, the hauler’s license, and the disposal manifest. Most jurisdictions want these on file for a set period and available on request. A good grease service provides this paperwork automatically after every visit.

How to Stay Inspection-Ready

• Service on a schedule that keeps you under the grease threshold — don’t wait for problems.
• Use a licensed hauler that disposes of grease at an approved facility.
• Keep documentation organized and accessible — digital or a binder by the trap.
• Address slow drains and odors immediately, before they become violations.
• Know your local rules — requirements vary by city and sanitation district.

Let Us Handle the Compliance Side

JN Grease Service keeps Southern California restaurants inspection-ready. We service your trap or interceptor on the right schedule, use licensed disposal, and hand you documented service records and manifests every visit — so when the inspector shows up, you’re covered. And if something backs up, we’re available 24/7.