How to Handle the Grease Interceptor in a Food Space
In a food preparation area, fixtures and equipment with grease-laden waste have to drain to a grease interceptor or an automatic grease removal device (Florida Building Code, Plumbing, section 1003.3.1).
At Reach Commercial Real Estate, we represent tenants. We help you find locations, compare costs, investigate property questions and negotiate the lease.
1. Find which of your equipment drains to a grease interceptor
The rule covers food preparation areas in restaurants, hotel kitchens, hospitals, school kitchens, bars, factory cafeterias and clubs. These fixtures and equipment have to drain to the interceptor (Florida Building Code, Plumbing, section 1003.3.1):
Pot sinks and prerinse sinks.
Soup kettles or similar devices.
Wok stations.
Floor drains or sinks into which kettles are drained.
Automatic hood wash units.
Dishwashers without prerinse sinks.
Interceptors keep oil, grease, sand and other harmful substances out of the public sewer, the private sewage system and the sewage treatment plant (section 1003.1).
2. Confirm who approves the size, type and location
The plumbing official approves the size, type and location of each interceptor (Florida Building Code, Plumbing, section 1003.2). If the interceptor is part of an onsite sewage treatment and disposal system, the health official approves it.
Before we put any value on an existing interceptor, we ask who owns it, what records exist and whether your team finds it suitable for your operation.
3. Ask Melbourne about fats, oils and grease
Everyone connected to the City of Melbourne sewer system has to follow the city's Prohibited Discharge Standards and Local Limits (City of Melbourne, Industrial Pretreatment). The prohibited discharges include substances that may solidify or become viscous at temperatures between 32 and 100 degrees F.
Email Melbourne's Pretreatment office (ipp@mlbfl.org) for its Industrial Pretreatment Program Wastewater Survey.
Melbourne's Protect Your Pipes page is written for households. It says fats, oils and grease (FOG) poured down kitchen drains collect inside sewer pipes. As the FOG builds up, the grease solidifies into a hardened mass.
4. Ask Brevard County Utility Services
Brevard County Utility Services asks non-residential sewer users to complete an Industrial Pretreatment Program Questionnaire. The county uses the answers to decide whether a facility is subject to its Sewer Use Ordinance (Section 110-66).
For questions or help with the form, contact the Brevard County Environmental Section at Utility.Compliance@BrevardFL.gov or (321) 633-2091.
5. Check the waste lines and the permit
If you change to a food-handling use, existing sanitary waste lines above food or drink preparation or storage areas must be panned or otherwise protected. New drainage lines cannot go above those areas (Florida Building Code, Existing Building, section 1010.2).
You need a permit to install, alter, repair or replace a plumbing system (Florida Building Code, Building, section 105.1). Melbourne's Building Section lists plumbing among the work that requires a permit (Building Section FAQ).
6. Compare the full cost of the space
We compare more than base rent. Your occupancy review should include:
Base rent.
CAM and other additional charges.
Scheduled increases.
Utilities.
Repairs and maintenance assigned to you.
Construction and equipment installation.
Deposits.
Rent due before opening.
We also compare what the landlord offers against what your contractor expects the space to need.
7. Put the interceptor into the lease and track the dates
Our lease checklist asks what the lease says about landlord work versus tenant work. It also asks for a permit contingency, a TI allowance and free rent during the buildout.
Once you pick a property, we negotiate the business terms. After signing, keep track of:
Possession and delivery dates.
Landlord work.
Improvement-allowance submissions.
Construction deadlines.
Insurance requirements.
Rent commencement.
Extra items to add to your list
Industrial user permits. Not every business needs a Significant Industrial User Permit or a Minor Industrial User Permit. If Melbourne's Pretreatment office says you need one, it gives you an application.
Connection fees. Brevard County Utility Services staff review building permits, calculate the connection fees and make sure they meet the Brevard County Code.
Start your search with Reach
You do not need to find the property before calling us. In most deals the landlord pays our fee.
Call 321-514-0876 with your menu, equipment list, budget and target opening date, or with the address of a space you have found.
Related: the leasing guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a food waste disposer drain to a grease interceptor?
No. The code bars a food waste disposer from discharging to a grease interceptor (Florida Building Code, Plumbing, section 1003.3.2).
Can a grease interceptor go above the floor?
Yes, when lack of space or another constraint prevents installing or replacing one. You can install one or more interceptors on or above the floor, upstream of an existing grease interceptor (Florida Building Code, Plumbing, section 1003.3.1).
Sources
Written by Cassandra Hartford, founder and CEO of Reach Commercial Real Estate. She has worked in Brevard County commercial real estate for 17 years, representing buyers, sellers, landlords, and tenants across Florida's Space Coast.
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