Avondale City Code 24-104 and 24-105: grease interceptors, pretreatment plans and the discharge survey

Section 24-104(b)(3) is the interceptor rule:

"Grease, oil, hair, and sand interceptors shall be required when, in the opinion of the director, they are necessary for the proper handling of wastewater containing excessive amounts of FOG, or sand; except that such interceptors shall not be required for residential users."

The same subsection adds three conditions. Every interception unit is "of type and capacity approved by the director" and located so it is easily accessible for cleaning and inspection. The interceptors "shall be inspected, cleaned and repaired regularly, as needed, by the user at the user's expense." Section 24-104(a)(1) says any pretreatment facilities are provided, operated and maintained at the user's expense, and that detailed plans "shall be submitted to the director for review, and shall be acceptable to the director before such facilities are constructed."

Section 24-105(b)(2) is the survey rule:

"All users shall submit a completed industrial pretreatment survey when applying to discharge wastewater into the POTW."

The survey is "made available at the city's development services department upon user's application for sewer service."

• FOG. Fats, oils and grease. The interceptor trigger is "excessive amounts" of it, and the section does not put a number on "excessive." The director's opinion decides.
• User. A person who is the source of a discharge to the sewer system (24-102). A restaurant is a user.
• POTW. The publicly owned treatment works, which means the city's sewer and treatment system.
• Significant industrial user (SIU). The 24-102 definition covers users subject to categorical pretreatment standards, users that discharge an average of 25,000 gallons per day or more of process wastewater, users whose process wastewater is 5 percent or more of the treatment plant's capacity, and users the city designates. A typical restaurant is not described by those thresholds. That is a reading, since the city can also designate a user.

The survey rule says "all users" and ties the survey to the application for sewer service. The director can require other users to hold an individual or general discharge permit (24-105(b)(3)), and SIUs must have one before they discharge (24-105(b)(1)).

The interceptor rule is narrower. It does not apply to residential users, who are carved out in 24-104(b)(3).

A coffee shop in a strip center. The space has a sink and a dishwasher and the tenant is applying for sewer service. The survey comes first. Whether the director calls for an interceptor is a judgment call under 24-104(b)(3), and the code gives the tenant no sizing formula to work from.

A restaurant replacing its interceptor. The user pays for repairs and cleaning. Section 24-104(a)(2) says significant changes in pretreatment facilities or equipment are reported to and accepted by the city before the user starts them. The text does not say whether a like-for-like interceptor swap counts as significant, so ask Development Services before work starts.

The edge case. A food manufacturer averages 25,000 gallons per day of process wastewater. That reaches the 24-102 SIU line, so the discharge permit is required before discharging, with the application filed at least 30 days before a new or restarted discharge.

1. 1Get the industrial pretreatment survey from Avondale Development Services when you apply for sewer service. Development Services takes applications through the Accela Citizen Access portal and answers questions at (623) 333-4000.
2. 2Ask what the director requires for your kitchen. Section 24-104(b)(3) makes it the director's call, with approval of type and capacity.
3. 3If you are building or replacing equipment, submit detailed plans and wait for them to be acceptable before construction.
4. 4Set up inspection and cleaning on a schedule that keeps the interceptor working. The code says "regularly, as needed" and sets no number.
5. 5Keep your own written records of cleaning and repair. Section 24-104(b)(3) does not mention records, and the neighboring cities in the comparison table each write a record rule into their interceptor sections.

A separate pumper empties the interceptor first. HQ Plumbing & Air handles interceptor repair and inspection and does not pump grease.

• Myth: the code gives a size. It does not. The capacity is "of type and capacity approved by the director."
• Myth: only a discharge permit matters. Every user files the survey, whether or not a permit follows.
• Myth: approval of plans ends the user's responsibility. Section 24-104(a)(1) says plan review "shall in no way relieve the user from the responsibility of modifying such facilities as necessary."
• Myth: no records are required anywhere. Not in Avondale's 24-104, but Goodyear, Buckeye and Mesa each write a record rule into their interceptor sections.

The text above comes from Avondale City Code 24-102, 24-104, 24-105 and 24-106 on Municode, read on 2026-10-04. This page explains those sections, and the official text governs.