Grease (FOG) Control (Seattle Public Utilities) — Seattle
Seattle food businesses with commercial kitchen plumbing must install and maintain a grease interceptor under Seattle Public Utilities rules, cleaned before it reaches 25% full.
Overview
Any business with commercial kitchen plumbing and a King County Food Business Permit must install a grease interceptor — even small operations (delis, coffee/ice-cream shops, pizza, caterers). The Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) FOG program (Seattle Municipal Code Ch. 21.16) enforces it.
- Discharging wastewater over 100 ppm FOG is prohibited
- Interceptors must be cleaned before grease/solids exceed 25% of volume
- Emulsifiers, enzymes, and bio-additives are prohibited
- Keep records (service receipts, manifests, inspection reports) at least three years
Plumbing plan review (separate from health plan review) is required for new food establishments and covers the interceptor.
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.
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.