Grease Trap / Interceptor — City of Chicago
Chicago restaurants discharging grease must install an approved grease trap or interceptor under the City Sewer Use Ordinance.
What it is. An approved grease trap or gravity grease interceptor to keep FOG out of the municipal sewer, under the Chicago Sewer Use Ordinance and plumbing code. Full-service restaurants generally require a gravity interceptor above a threshold discharge volume.
Who issues/enforces it. City of Chicago — Department of Water Management (with the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, MWRD, for regional discharge) (City layer).
When you need it. Any food service establishment discharging grease; device sized/installed during build-out (Department of Buildings plumbing review).
How to comply. Install the correctly sized device per the ordinance.
Fees. Per the City program — see source (⟢ VERIFY).
What SpoonSeal tracks. The document(s) you upload for this requirement, with automatic renewal/expiration tracking (Current, Due Soon, Expired). Where the city publishes health-inspection results (e.g., NYC and Chicago), SpoonSeal syncs them automatically; elsewhere they can be added manually.
References
- City of Chicago, Department of Water Management — https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/water.html — Official source last checked: 2026-07-02
Stay ahead of this requirement
SpoonSeal stores your documents, tracks expirations, and reminds you before anything lapses — so you are always inspection-ready.
Get started free →This guide is informational and not legal advice. Always confirm current requirements with the official agency linked above.