Gilbert Town Code 66-244: grease removal devices for restaurants and food service

The rule has two triggers and a build standard.

New, remodeled or converted facilities. Subsection (a) says the owner or operator of every newly constructed, remodeled or converted commercial or industrial facility with grease-generating activity "shall install or cause to be installed a grease removal device, of a size equal to or greater than the minimum size required by the plumbing code adopted by the town". The plumbing code is the 2018 International Plumbing Code, with Gilbert's amendments (Town Code 10-34). The code adds that sizing criteria are also available from the Public Works wastewater quality branch.

A blockage in the sewer line. Subsection (b) reaches existing kitchens. If the director notifies you that the sewer line serving your facility has a grease blockage, a history of blockage or accelerated line maintenance from grease, you must install a device. If you already have one, you may be required to install a new or more effective one.

How the device is built. Subsection (c) says the device goes on the premises where the grease is used or generated. It must be of substantial construction, watertight and have easily removable covers. Where bolted covers are required, they must be gastight and watertight.

• Food service facility: in Gilbert's definitions, any commercial or industrial user that uses or generates grease when preparing food, except one that prepares food only for cooking somewhere else. The list includes restaurants, schools, social and non-profit organizations, amusement and recreation parks, theatres, and grocery and convenience stores.
• Grease removal device: the code's umbrella term. It does not split traps from interceptors in 66-244, so the size and type come from the plumbing code.
• Director: the director of Public Works or the director's designee.
• Remodeled or converted: not defined in 66-244. Our reading is that a change that touches the kitchen's drainage, or a new tenant turning a non-food space into a kitchen, is where the town looks.

Owners and operators of commercial and industrial facilities that generate grease, which reaches well past restaurants: schools, grocery stores, convenience stores with kitchens and theatres are on the town's own list. Section 66-243(d) then puts upkeep on the owner or operator: keep the device working at your expense, keep written cleaning and repair records at the facility for three years, and keep it accessible for cleaning and inspection.

A new restaurant in a shell space. The design team sizes the device from the 2018 IPC and the town's sizing criteria, and puts it on the plans. The device is part of the building permit work, not something added after opening.

A remodel. A dining room refresh does not touch the kitchen, but a new dish machine and floor sinks do. Whether a project counts as a remodel of the grease-generating area is a question for plan review, so ask before the drawings are done.

The edge case: the sewer line has a problem, not the restaurant. Subsection (b) does not depend on your permit history. If the town traces grease blockages to the line that serves you and notifies you, you must install a device, or a better one. The code does not say how much time you get, so the notice will.

1. 1Find your device type and size on the approved plans, or note that you have none.
2. 2For a new or remodeled kitchen, get the sizing from the 2018 IPC before you draw the drains, and submit the plans through the One Stop Shop portal (OneStopShop.gilbertaz.gov, Development Services at (480) 503-6700). For an existing kitchen with a town notice, call the Town of Gilbert at (480) 503-6000 and ask for the pretreatment program.
3. 3Put every kitchen fixture on the plans so the reviewer can see what drains to the device.
4. 4Start a pump-out log now. See Gilbert's pumping and additive rules.
5. 5If a town notice arrives about grease in the sewer line, answer it in writing and keep a copy.

• "My restaurant is old, so this does not apply." Subsection (b) can still require a device, or a better one, after a blockage in the line.
• "Only restaurants count." The town's definition includes schools, theatres and grocery and convenience stores.
• "The device is the landlord's problem." The code says owner or operator and does not say which. The lease decides who pays, and the town can look to either.
• "Any tank will do." The size must be at least the plumbing code minimum, and the cover, watertight and gastight rules apply.