Grease Trap Cleaning Cost in 2026: What Restaurant Owners Should Actually Expect to Pay

If you're a restaurant owner, kitchen manager, or food service operator, you already know you need to clean your grease trap. But how much should it actually cost?

The short answer: $75 to $2,500 per service, depending on your trap size, location, and how bad things have gotten.

The longer answer — and the one that'll save you money — is below.

Quick Cost Breakdown by Trap Size

These are national averages. Your actual cost will depend on where you're located, how accessible your trap is, and how often you've been maintaining it.

What Affects the Price?

1. Size of Your Grease Trap

This is the biggest factor. A small under-sink trap at a cafe costs a fraction of what a 3,000-gallon in-ground interceptor at a hotel kitchen does. Larger traps require bigger vacuum trucks, more disposal fees, and more labor time.

2. How Full (or Neglected) It Is

Here's where restaurant owners get burned. If you've been skipping cleanings and your trap is packed solid with fats, oils, grease, and food solids (FOGS), the job takes longer, requires more equipment, and costs more.

A regularly maintained trap might take 30-45 minutes. A neglected one can take 2-3 hours and require jetting or hand-scraping.

The lesson: Regular cleanings at $400 every few months beats a $5,000 emergency call every single time.

3. Your Location

Costs vary significantly by city and state. Major metro areas (New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco) tend to cost 20-40% more than rural areas due to higher labor rates, disposal fees, and operating costs.

4. Accessibility

Is your trap easy to reach, or does the crew need to navigate through a cramped kitchen, dig through a parking lot, or work around other equipment? Difficult access = more time = higher cost.

5. Frequency of Service

Most companies offer discounts for recurring service contracts. If you commit to monthly or quarterly cleanings, you'll typically pay 10-25% less per visit than one-off emergency calls.

How Often Should You Get It Cleaned?

The general rule:

• High-volume restaurants (heavy frying, lots of grease): Every 1-2 months
• Average restaurants: Every 2-3 months
• Low-grease establishments (cafes, delis, sandwich shops): Every 3-4 months

Most local health departments mandate cleaning at least once every 90 days (quarterly). Some cities require monthly service for high-volume kitchens.

The industry standard is the "one-quarter rule": when 25% of your trap's capacity is filled with FOGS, it's time for a cleaning. Don't wait for it to get worse.

What Happens If You Don't Clean It?

This isn't just about following rules. Neglecting your grease trap can lead to:

• Health code violations: Inspectors check grease trap maintenance logs. No logs = fines.
• Fines up to $2,000 per day of non-compliance in many jurisdictions.
• Sewer backups: Grease hardens in pipes, causing blockages that can flood your kitchen or your neighbor's property. You're liable for the damage.
• Kitchen shutdown: In extreme cases, health departments can shut your kitchen down until the issue is resolved.
• Foul odors: A full grease trap smells terrible and can drive customers away.

The EPA estimates that over 70% of urban wastewater issues are caused by grease-related blockages. Don't be the restaurant that causes a neighborhood sewer overflow.

How to Save Money on Grease Trap Cleaning

1. Get on a regular schedule. Recurring contracts are cheaper than emergency calls. Period.
2. Get multiple quotes. Prices vary widely between providers. Get at least 3 quotes before committing.
3. Train your kitchen staff. Simple practices like scraping plates before washing, using drain screens, and never pouring grease down the drain reduce buildup and extend time between cleanings.
4. Ask about bundled services. Many grease trap companies also handle used cooking oil recycling. Bundling both services often gets you a discount.
5. Keep records. Document every cleaning with date, company name, and gallons removed. This protects you during inspections and helps you track how quickly your trap fills up — so you can optimize your schedule.

How to Find a Grease Trap Cleaning Company Near You

Finding a reliable, fairly priced grease trap cleaning service shouldn't be hard — but it often is. Many small operators don't have websites, and the ones that do rarely list prices.

That's exactly why we built GreaseTrapFinder. Search by your city or ZIP code to find rated grease trap cleaning companies in your area, compare services, and request free quotes.

Search grease trap cleaning companies near you →

The Bottom Line

Budget for $150-$500 per cleaning if you're a typical restaurant, and build it into your monthly operating costs. Get on a quarterly schedule at minimum, and don't skip cleanings to save money — the emergency costs will eat that savings ten times over.

Your grease trap isn't glamorous. But maintaining it properly is one of the cheapest ways to protect your restaurant from fines, shutdowns, and plumbing disasters.

Have a question about grease trap cleaning in your area? Request a free quote from local providers.

Related articles:

• How Often Should You Clean Your Grease Trap? (State-by-State Guide)
• What Happens If You Don't Clean Your Grease Trap? (Fines, Closures & Worse)