What do Pinal County restaurant plans have to show for grease, backflow and drains?

In the plan instructions, the packet says to "clearly designate the locations of proposed or existing grease traps/interceptors, including type and size," and then states the rule quoted above: easily accessible and outside of the building.

Appendix A, the Plan Submittal Checklist, goes further under three headings.

Sewage disposal. The checklist asks whether the building is connected to a municipal sewer and, if not, whether the private disposal system is approved, with a copy of the written approval or permit attached. It then asks whether a grease trap or interceptor is provided, its type and size, whether it is easily accessible and outside the building, and "How often will grease trap/interceptor be emptied or pumped?" It closes with: "If no grease trap/interceptor is provided, a letter from the appropriate jurisdiction is included to waive the requirement for grease trap/interceptor installation."

Backflow. The checklist asks what type of backflow prevention devices are used and where they are located, and how they are inspected and serviced. Its footnote says: "Any equipment with a direct connection to the water supply must have a backflow prevention device." A second footnote says a copy of the backflow testing results must be provided to the regulatory authority before final approval to operate is given. It also asks whether there is a water treatment device and how it will be inspected and serviced.

Plumbing and indirect drainage. The checklist lists ice machines, ice storage bins, three-compartment ware-washing sinks, ware-washing machines, food preparation sinks, steam tables, running-water dipper wells, refrigeration condensate and drain lines, beverage stations and steamers. For each one the applicant describes the method of indirect drainage: floor sink, floor drain, hub drain or air gap device.

• Grease trap or interceptor. The packet uses the two terms together and gives no size threshold. Size is the applicant's answer on the checklist.
• Appropriate jurisdiction. The packet does not say who that is. A reasonable reading is the local authority that regulates grease discharge where the building sits. The checklist does not name a city or agency.
• Regulatory authority. The packet's phrase for the office receiving backflow test results. A reasonable reading is Pinal County Environmental Health, since the packet comes from that office.
• Hub drain. One of the packet's listed indirect drainage methods, along with floor sink, floor drain and air gap device. The packet does not describe it.

Food establishments whose plans Pinal County Environmental Health reviews. That includes food service tenants in the City of Maricopa, which says all food service facilities require separate approval by Pinal County.

This does not apply if the restaurant has no grease trap or interceptor and the appropriate jurisdiction has waived it in a letter. That is the one case the checklist leaves open, and the letter has to be in the plan package.

A new restaurant in a strip center. The plumbing sheet shows the outdoor interceptor with its type and size, the pumping schedule is on the checklist, and each machine's indirect drain is labeled. The reviewer has answers to every question on the checklist.

A small coffee counter with no interceptor. The owner leaves the interceptor lines blank. The checklist expects either an interceptor or a waiver letter from the appropriate jurisdiction. A blank answer is an unanswered question.

The edge case. An existing building has an indoor trap under the kitchen sink. The packet's wording is that traps and interceptors must be outside the building, and its checklist has no exception for an existing indoor unit. The owner should ask Environmental Health how an existing indoor trap is handled before drawing the plans.

1. 1Download the packet and read Appendix A before the plumbing sheet is drawn, not after.
2. 2Draw the grease trap or interceptor outside the building with its type and size labeled and a clear service path.
3. 3Decide the pumping schedule with the hauler and write it in the checklist.
4. 4List each water-supplied machine and the backflow device that protects it, with location.
5. 5Label the indirect drain method for each machine on the checklist: floor sink, floor drain, hub drain or air gap.
6. 6Arrange backflow testing so the results are in hand before final approval to operate. HQ Plumbing & Air tests, repairs and replaces domestic backflow assemblies and inspects and repairs grease interceptors, while pumping is done by a separate hauler first.

• Myth: The checklist is the same as Maricopa County's. The Maricopa County guide does not require the interceptor to be outside the building; the Pinal packet does.
• Myth: Size is decided in the packet. The packet asks for type and size on the plans and gives no sizing table.
• Myth: Backflow testing can wait until after opening. The packet says test results must be provided before final approval to operate.
• Myth: No interceptor, no problem. The checklist expects a waiver letter from the appropriate jurisdiction.