How does Scottsdale inspect restaurant grease traps?

The city page says both traps and interceptors must be documented as cleaned and maintained on a regular routine, and that Water Quality inspects every restaurant. The numbers sit in IPC 1005, which Scottsdale added in Section 31-85:

• Complete cleaning frequency (1005.5): interceptors over 100 gpm/200 pounds at least every 90 calendar days. Interceptors of 100 gpm/200 pounds or less at least every 30 days. More often when necessary or when the city requires. Complete cleaning must be by a licensed contractor.
• When to clean sooner (1005.1): when captured grease and solids take up more than 25 percent of the volume, when effluent pH is below 5.0, when odor becomes a health issue or nuisance, or when the city decides a cleaning is necessary.
• Logs (1005.2): written logs of cleaning, repair, calibration and maintenance kept at the facility for at least three years, open to the city on request. Section 49-95 says the same for owners.
• No decanting (1005.4): skimming or discharging removed waste back into any interceptor or into the collection system is prohibited.

• Complete cleaning: Section 1005 does not define it. The self-cleaning log rule asks for a certification that the interceptor was completely cleaned and all parts were in operable condition, which is the closest the code comes.
• Capacity in "gpm or pounds": the code states the 100 and 200 limits in both units. A unit rated 50 gpm and 100 pounds sits in the 30 day group.
• Self-cleaning operator: a facility the city has approved to clean its own trap. Approval must come first (1005.6).

Every Scottsdale facility required to have an interceptor, including restaurants, bars and any kitchen with grease waste. Owners carry the duty and the cost. It does not apply to a home kitchen.

A busy fry kitchen with a small trap. The default is a cleaning every 30 days. The exception lets an operator with a device no larger than 50 gpm/100 pounds petition in writing for a longer schedule, up to 90 days. The city needs documentation before granting it and revokes it if an inspection finds the trap out of compliance.

A restaurant that self-cleans the trap. After approval, it must place waste in a leak-proof sealable container, keep logs of dates (at least every 30 days), gallons removed, disposal method, a certification and a signature. If an inspection finds problems, the city revokes approval and the facility must hire a Maricopa County licensed hauler at once.

The edge case: a violation notice. The city's inspection form lists actions such as pumping and cleaning the device within 7 days and sending the last three pumping invoices within 7 days. Repairs must be finished within the time stated on the notice to comply, and Section 1006.6 allows an extension of up to 30 days for justifiable cause.

1. 1Find your device's rated capacity on its label or the plans and match it to the table above.
2. 2Contract a licensed hauler on a schedule at or ahead of the interval, and ask for invoices that show the date and gallons removed.
3. 3Keep the city's Pumping and Maintenance Log (or your own with the same fields) on site, and keep records three years.
4. 4Post no-grease reminders and train staff. Section 1006.3 requires training for facilities with interceptors.
5. 5Use the contact information on the current Scottsdale Water Quality Pretreatment page for facility questions.

• "An enzyme program lets us pump less." The city's 2012 additive policy says additives do not remove the need for routine cleaning, and directly adding them to a trap or interceptor is prohibited. Using them on floor drain traps and sewer lines is acceptable if they do not interfere with the interceptor.
• "The city forms show the current code." The inspection form and log still cite Section 31-167 and IPC 1003.1.3, the old numbering. Section 31-85, IPC 1005, is the current text.
• "Anyone can clean the trap." Complete cleaning must be by a licensed contractor unless the city has approved you as a self-cleaning operator first.

Section 1006.4 lists special enforcement action for a facility with more than one violation in 90 days, one that causes multiple sewer problems, or one whose neglected interceptor obstructs a city sewer. Penalties, corrective work at your cost and discontinued sewer service are all possible outcomes. Section 1006.5 puts the cleanup cost of a sanitary sewer overflow from private property on the owner.

This page summarizes the city's rules. The adopted text on Municode governs.