Grease Trap Cleaning
Restaurant and commercial kitchen grease trap and interceptor pumping, on a schedule that keeps you under your city's 25% rule. Get connected with independent local pumpers.
- Backups and alarm calls get emergency priority routing
- Pump-outs quoted by tank size — most jobs run $297–$584 (national average $432)
- Free pumping frequency, tank size, and cost calculators
- Free to use — no obligation, no markup
Fast response from independent local providers. No obligation.
Typical national cost$115 – $1,040Cost guide →About Grease Trap Cleaning
Every commercial kitchen that drains to a grease trap or interceptor has to keep it pumped. Grease floats to the top, food solids settle to the bottom, and once the two fill too much of the tank, grease starts slipping into the sewer. EPA's report to Congress found grease was the most common cause of reported sewer blockages, which is why local sewer utilities write grease rules and enforce them with inspections, surcharges and fines.
Many cities set the schedule with the 25% rule: pump when floating grease plus settled solids reach 25% of the liquid depth. Some add a calendar minimum on top. Sioux City, Iowa, for example, requires indoor grease traps to be cleaned at least weekly, and accepts outdoor interceptor pump-outs only from haulers on its approved list. Your local wastewater utility sets the rules you're held to.
The work is a lot like septic pumping, and many septic companies do both. We connect restaurants, cafeterias and other commercial kitchens with independent local pumpers who handle their own licensing, disposal and the service records your city expects.
Common Jobs We Route
- Scheduled pumping of outdoor, in-ground grease interceptors
- Under-sink and indoor grease trap cleaning
- Service plans set to your city's 25% rule or calendar minimum
- Overdue or overflowing traps that need a one-time clean-out
- After-hours service so the kitchen doesn't lose a shift
- Service reports and cleaning logs for your city's grease program
What Affects the Price
Providers quote their own work — these are the factors that consistently move the number.
- Trap size: a 20- to 30-gallon under-sink trap and a 1,500-gallon interceptor are very different jobs: Greasecycle puts a small under-sink trap at about $115 a pumping and a 1,000- to 1,500-gallon interceptor at $225–$315 on a service plan
- How full the trap is when the truck arrives. Overdue traps take longer and haul more waste
- Service agreement or one-time call: contract visits usually cost less per pumping
- Disposal: some haulers bill per gallon, and public bids show $0.20 to $1.95 a gallon for haul and disposal
- After-hours, holiday or emergency timing, which public bids priced at $140 to $2,000 on top of the visit
- Access: interceptors under parking lots, or traps in tight kitchen spaces, add labor
How It Works
- Step 1
Tell us about the kitchen
Trap or interceptor size if you know it, how often it's pumped now, your city, and whether you've had an inspection notice.
- Step 2
Matched to a local pumper
Requests route to independent local pumpers who service commercial grease traps and interceptors.
- Step 3
Compare the same scope
Full pump-out, scraping and washing, disposal, and the service report your city wants, priced per visit or on a plan.
- Step 4
Set the schedule
A pumping interval that keeps the trap under your city's limit, with records kept for inspections.
Grease Trap Cleaning FAQs
How much does grease trap cleaning cost?
Greasecycle's September 2025 industry pricing puts grease trap pumping at $115 to $1,040 per visit, from a small under-sink trap to a 5,000-gallon interceptor that's years overdue. In a Texas county's public bid, three companies priced a 1,000-gallon trap at $185 to $550 per visit. Our grease trap cleaning cost guide has the details.
What is the 25% rule?
Many cities require you to pump the trap when floating grease plus settled solids reach 25% of the liquid depth. In Sioux City's example, 0.5 feet of grease and 1.0 foot of solids in 4.0 feet of contents is 37.5%, so the restaurant needs to pump more often.
Can my staff clean the grease trap?
It depends on the city and the unit. Sioux City lets kitchen staff or a certified hauler clean small indoor traps, but outdoor interceptors must be pumped by a certified hauler. Check your local grease ordinance first.
Do septic pumping companies clean grease traps?
Many do. Several of the haulers on Sioux City, Iowa's approved grease hauler list are septic companies. If your city keeps an approved list, make sure the company you hire is on it.
Grease Trap Cleaning by Area
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