What we pump
Gravity grease interceptors
The in-ground tank Reno and Sparks require outside the building — 750 gallons minimum, two compartments. Full contents out, baffles checked, trip ticket in hand.
Interceptor service →Indoor grease traps
Allowed in Reno only under a variance, in Sparks only with the public works director’s approval. If you have one, it needs servicing more often than you think.
Trap service →Backed up during service?
Slow three-compartment sink, floor drain gurgling, smell in the dish pit. Call and say “emergency.”
Emergency service →Reno does not give you a calendar
Reno’s code says a gravity interceptor “shall be serviced at a frequency that is specified in the industrial user’s permit,” and in all cases “must be cleaned whenever the combined thickness of the floating greases and settled solids is greater than 25 percent of the design hydraulic depth of the interceptor” (RMC 12.16.555(b)(6)(ii)a). There is no “every 90 days” in Reno’s ordinance; anyone quoting one is quoting another city. Your Environmental Control permit sets your interval, the 25% rule overrides it, and the calculator shows how fast your kitchen gets there.
Three jurisdictions, one truck
Reno, Sparks and unincorporated Washoe County each write their own grease rules, and they are not the same. All three require an exterior interceptor sized by the Uniform Plumbing Code’s Appendix H method, cap grease in your discharge at 300 mg/L, and ban enzyme and bacteria additives. After that they diverge: Reno writes the 25% rule and the three-year manifest rule into code; Sparks sets the schedule in each permit; the County issues an annual inspection certificate. The side-by-side →
What every visit leaves behind
- A waste manifest or trip ticket with the hauler’s certification for the load — Reno requires you keep it on site for at least three years
- Gallons removed and the percent-full reading before service — your 25%-rule record
- A note on baffles, tees and lids — the things an annual EC inspection looks at
One call, flat number
Interceptor size and meals per peak hour. Scheduled around deliveries, documented to RMC 12.16.555.
Call (775) 593-8701Guides
The EC permit and annual inspection
What Environmental Control permits, inspects, and fines.
Opening a restaurant: sizing the interceptor
The formula in the code, worked.
Why enzymes are prohibited
In all three jurisdictions.
Slow drains and smells
What to do in the next hour.