Last updated 2026-08-19
TL;DR
Colorado does not run a statewide grease trap board. The State Plumbing Board at DORA licenses the people who install interceptors. Your city or sanitation district sets FOG rules, sizing, pumping, and inspections. Restaurants need a retail food license and a plumbing permit, not a special grease-trap card. Costs and timelines are local. Confirm every fee and wait with the utility and building department that will inspect you.
What is the grease trap board in Colorado?
There is no single grease trap board in Colorado. Installers answer to the State Plumbing Board inside the Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA). Food shops answer to local public health for a retail food license. The interceptor itself answers to your city building department and the wastewater utility that owns the sewer.
That split surprises people. Other trades have one counter. This one does not.
FOG (fats, oils, and grease) is a sewer problem first. Federal pretreatment rules ban viscous waste that clogs a publicly owned treatment works. 40 CFR 403.5 prohibits "Solid or viscous pollutants in amounts which will cause obstruction to the flow in the POTW resulting in Interference." [1] The National Pretreatment Program is a federal, state, and local partnership. Colorado utilities do the restaurant desk work. [2][3]
If a contractor tells you to call the grease trap board, ask which phone. Plumbing? Health? The plant? Those are three numbers.
Start with the wastewater utility on the sewer bill. Then the building department that stamps plumbing permits. Then DORA, but only if you are the person cutting pipe.
Here is the desk map.
| Desk | What they control | What they do not issue |
|---|---|---|
| State Plumbing Board (DORA) | Plumber licenses and the state plumbing code | Restaurant FOG permits |
| Local building department | Plumbing permits and rough-in inspections | Waste dump authorizations |
| Wastewater utility or POTW | Interceptor approval, pumping rules, FOG inspections | State plumber cards |
| Local public health | Retail food establishment license | Interceptor sizing letters |
Keep that table. It saves a wasted trip.
Searches for grease trap Colorado often assume a state card you hang on the wall. There is not one for the restaurant owner.
Do you need a license for grease trap in Colorado?
You do not need a statewide grease trap operator license to own a restaurant interceptor in Colorado. You do need a licensed plumber to install or relocate it, a local plumbing permit, and whatever FOG registration your utility uses. The shop still needs a retail food establishment license.
Colorado law requires a license before a person works as a residential, journeyman, or master plumber. [4][5] That covers interceptor installation, relocation, and the sanitary piping around it. Owner-operators who drop in an under-sink unit with no permit get failed inspections. I would not do that.
Some cities issue a separate FOG permit or food service wastewater permit. That is a local utility document, not a DORA card. Denver-area plants, Colorado Springs Utilities, Aurora Water, and Fort Collins each write their own pretreatment rules under the same federal floor. [3][6]
Retail food licensing sits with local public health under the Colorado Food Protection Act and 6 CCR 1010-2. [7][8] That license is about food safety. It does not replace interceptor approval.
Waste haulers who pump traps may need local registration, and they need a legal place to dump. Confirm the hauler list with your utility. Do not assume a statewide hauler card exists.
If you only serve espresso and packaged pastry, you may get a written waiver. Get it in writing. A verbal you should be fine is not a file.
Who actually issues grease trap permits in Colorado?
Local building departments issue the plumbing permit. The wastewater utility or pretreatment coordinator approves the interceptor type, size, and location. Those can be the same city or two different desks.
Metro Denver is the clean example of split desks. Metro Water Recovery runs industrial pretreatment for a large service area, while the city still issues the building permit. [6] Smaller towns fold both into public works. Call both before you order a tank.
Walk in with a fixture schedule, a menu (deep fryers change the conversation), a site plan, and the manufacturer's sizing sheet. Utilities hate a surprise 20-gallon under-sink box on a full-service grill line.
Plan reviewers also want sample tees, access manholes, and a route a pumper truck can actually reach. An interceptor under a locked patio that a truck cannot park beside is a design failure. Fix that on paper, not after concrete.
If you operate in more than one state, the desks look familiar. Arizona and California also split the plumbing board from sewer FOG programs. See grease trap board in Arizona and grease trap board in California.
Never treat a Front Range city's packet as valid in a mountain sanitation district. Some districts still use onsite wastewater systems and sit on a different CDPHE paper path. Confirm the receiving plant or tank type for that address.
How much does a grease trap cost in Colorado?
There is no official Colorado grease trap price. Under-sink hydromechanical units often land in the low hundreds to a couple thousand dollars for the box alone. Outdoor gravity interceptors (think 500 to 1,500 gallons) plus excavation, traffic control, and plumbing can run from several thousand dollars into the mid five figures on a tight urban lot. Confirm current contractor quotes. I do not have a statewide bid set, and neither does DORA.
Labor in Denver and along the Front Range is not rural labor. Rock, high water tables, and alley vaults blow up the number. A cheap unit the utility will reject is a waste of money. So is oversizing by a vendor who does not have the city's letter.
Annual pumping often costs more than people budget. Frequency is local. If the plant wants 90-day service, price that, not a once-a-year fantasy.
Permit fees are local. DORA plumber license fees are separate and only apply if you are the installer. Confirm both fee schedules on the current DORA plumbing page and the city fee schedule. They change. Nobody should quote you a frozen state fee from a blog.
Spend money on access first. Manholes you can open, a truck pad, a sample tee. That beats a fancier indoor gadget every time, because inspectors can see access and they cannot see a catalog promise.
If you just need a paper pack (sizing worksheet, pump log, waste manifest templates), GreaseTrapPath sells a $199 one-time Interceptor + Manifest Kit at /start. The kit does not replace a permit. Use it or ignore it. The rest of this page stands without it.
How long does grease trap work take in Colorado?
Nobody publishes a statewide grease trap processing time in Colorado. Under-sink swap-outs can be a one-day job after the permit hits. In-ground tanks take longer: locate utilities, excavate, set, connect, inspect, backfill. Permit review can be a few days in a small town or several weeks in a busy city. Confirm with the building department that will stamp the job. No approval timeline is guaranteed.
Plan review stalls when the menu and the tank do not match. Resubmittals eat weeks. I would not lease a kitchen or schedule a soft opening until the interceptor inspection is on the calendar.
Health licensing and the plumbing final are different clocks. You can have a pretty dining room and still fail the sewer side.
Winter work on the Western Slope or in the high country adds frost, access, and hauler scheduling. Budget calendar time, more than crew hours.
First-year operations are the boring part. Pumping, logs, and re-inspection windows matter more than the install day.
What plumbing license do you need to install a grease trap in Colorado?
A Colorado-licensed plumber does the install. Master, journeyman, or residential, depending on the building type and the contractor's registration. The State Plumbing Board at DORA issues those licenses. [4][5]
A restaurant owner cannot legally run new sanitary pipe because they watched a video. Helpers work under a licensee. Confirm the current license class for commercial interceptors with DORA before you bid or hire.
Electrical work on a heated unit or high-level alarm is a separate trade license. Do not let the plumber just wire it unless they hold that card too.
Ask for the license number and check it on DORA's lookup before a deposit clears. Expired cards show up at finals.
Idaho and Illinois use the same split (state plumbing card, local FOG). If you hire traveling techs, check grease trap board in Idaho and grease trap board in Illinois.
What do Denver, Aurora, and Colorado Springs require?
They do not share one form. Each utility writes FOG rules under the federal pretreatment umbrella. [1][2][3] Expect some mix of interceptor required for food service, an approved sizing method, outdoor gravity tanks preferred for full-service kitchens, indoor units only with written approval, pumping records, and inspections.
Fort Collins publishes public FOG guidance. Use it as a sample of the tone, not as Denver's rule.
Metro Water Recovery's industrial pretreatment program covers a large share of metro connections. [6] If your sewer bill or tap letter names Metro, start there for discharge rules, then still pull the city plumbing permit.
Download the current FOG ordinance or pretreatment resolution from the utility that owns your sewer, not a blog recap. Rules move. A 2018 PDF in a contractor's truck is how people buy the wrong tank.
Never copy a Springs spec onto an Aurora job. Fixture-unit methods, banned grinders, and indoor-unit policies differ. Confirm the current standard for the exact address.
If you also keep shops in the Southeast, the local-utility model looks similar. See grease trap board in Florida and grease trap board in Georgia.
What size grease interceptor does Colorado require?
Colorado does not publish one statewide interceptor size. Sizing follows the adopted plumbing code (the International Plumbing Code as used by the State Plumbing Board) plus the utility's pretreatment standard, which can be stricter. [4][5]
IPC Chapter 10 covers interceptors and separators. Section 1003 is the grease section most plan reviewers point at. Hydromechanical units are sized in gallons per minute. Gravity interceptors are sized in gallons of liquid volume. Your utility may ban food grinders, require sample tees, or refuse internal automatic grease removal devices. Ask.
Menus change sizing. A bakery is not a wing joint. If the reviewer uses fixture counts, give them every pot sink, wok range, and floor drain. Hidden fixtures are how you fail the final.
Do not let a salesperson size the tank from a catalog page alone. Get the method in writing from the utility. If two vendors give you two volumes, the city's letter wins.
Adding a second fryer later is a new calculation. Call pretreatment before the crate arrives.
How often do you have to pump a grease trap in Colorado?
Pumping frequency is local. Many utilities use the 25 percent rule: pump when floating FOG plus settled solids fill 25 percent of the interceptor's liquid depth. U.S. EPA's 2012 food-service FOG fact sheet treats that 25 percent trigger as a common pretreatment practice. [10] Some cities still write a fixed 30, 60, or 90 day schedule on top of that.
If the hauler only skims the top, you did not pump the trap. Settled solids count. I would watch the first two pump-outs myself.
Keep the ticket. If the inspector asks and you shrug, you lose.
Winter access on an alley vault in the high country is a real scheduling problem. Do not sign a 90-day contract you cannot physically meet in February.
Short-interval pumping on an undersized indoor unit gets expensive. That is another reason to install the tank the utility actually wants.
What paper do you keep for grease trap compliance in Colorado?
Keep the plumbing permit, the approved sizing sheet, as-built photos, the hauler invoices, waste manifests or trip tickets, and any FOG permit the utility issued. If they gave you a cleaning log, fill it out on the day of service, not the day before the inspection.
Federal pretreatment programs expect POTWs to control FOG sources that cause interference. [2][3] Your folder is how the plant shows it did that.
FDA Food Code section 5-402.12, which Colorado retail food rules track, says "If used, a grease trap shall be located to be easily accessible for cleaning." [11] Access is a food-inspection issue and a pumper issue. Buried lids under a deck you built later will fail both.
Colorado has no single statewide manifest form for brown grease. The legal dump site and the hauler's paperwork are what matter. Confirm the receiving facility is allowed to take interceptor waste. Random field dumping is the fast way to a criminal problem.
Retail food files stay with the health inspection packet. Do not mix them into a greasy binder the health inspector cannot read.
What happens if you skip the grease interceptor in Colorado?
The sewer backs up, the utility issues a notice, the health department can interrupt food service, and you pay for line cleaning you caused. Repeat FOG violations can bring civil penalties under local utility rules and, in ugly cases, federal pretreatment enforcement through the approved POTW program. [1][3]
Skip-the-tank enzyme drip bottles do not replace an interceptor. Most utilities say so in writing. I would not spend money on a drip system to dodge a tank. It does not work as a legal substitute, and it can push grease downstream.
If you inherit a building with no interceptor and a fryer line, budget the tank before you budget the sign. The opening date is not a defense.
Illicit discharge into a storm inlet is a different and worse problem. Stormwater is not a grease sink.
How do Colorado rules compare to other states?
Same federal floor. Different desks. Every state sits under 40 CFR Part 403. [1] Colorado uses a state plumbing board plus local FOG programs, which is the common western pattern.
Florida and Georgia lean hard on county utilities and health in the same way. Hawaii is an island system with very different disposal options. Alabama runs another local-utility model. See grease trap board in Hawaii and grease trap board in Alabama.
The myth to drop is a national grease trap license. It does not exist. The paper path is always local sewer plus state plumbing plus food license.
If you already keep a compliance binder in another state, reuse the habit, not the form. Swap in the Colorado utility's log and the DORA plumber's information.
What should you do in the first year of operating a grease trap in Colorado?
Get the as-built and the utility approval letter into a folder on day one. Schedule the first pump before the 25 percent line, not after a backup. [10] Walk the vault after storms. Teach night staff not to hit the floor drain with fryer oil.
Re-read the FOG permit at 90 days. Cities add surcharge or inspection programs without sending you a cake.
If you add a smoker or a second fryer, call pretreatment before the equipment lands. A menu change is a sizing change.
Pick one person who owns the log. Shared responsibility is how tickets disappear.
Confirm every fee, form, and wait with the board or utility that will stamp your job. GreaseTrapPath is an independent publisher, not a law firm and not a service company. If you want blank logs and a manifest template, the $199 Interceptor + Manifest Kit is at /start. It is optional. The legal path is still the plumber, the permit, and the plant.
Frequently asked questions
Do you need a license for grease trap in Colorado?
Owning the trap, no statewide operator card. Installing it, yes: a Colorado plumber license and a local plumbing permit. Many utilities also issue a FOG or wastewater permit for the food shop. Retail food licensing is separate through local public health. Confirm the current mix with the utility and building department at the address.
How much does grease trap cost in Colorado?
No official state price. A small indoor unit is often hundreds to a couple thousand dollars for the box. In-ground gravity tanks plus dig and plumbing often run several thousand to well over $10,000 on tight Front Range lots. Pumping is recurring. Get local bids and confirm permit fees with the city. Do not buy a tank before the utility signs the size.
How long does grease trap take in Colorado?
There is no statewide clock. Indoor swaps can finish in a day after the permit. Buried tanks take longer because of locate, dig, set, and inspection. Plan review may take days or weeks depending on the city. Confirm with the building department. Do not treat any blog timeline as a promise.
Is there a Colorado grease trap board phone number?
No. Call DORA's State Plumbing Board for installer licenses, the local building department for permits, the wastewater utility for FOG rules, and local public health for the retail food license. Metro Water Recovery covers a large Denver-area pretreatment program. Start with the sewer bill letterhead.
Can I install my own grease trap in Colorado?
Not if the work is plumbing that the state requires a licensee to perform. Owner-builder myths die at commercial kitchens. Hire a licensed plumber and pull the permit. Confirm any narrow exemption with DORA before you cut pipe. I would not risk a failed opening inspection to save a day of labor.
Does Denver require an outdoor grease interceptor?
Denver-area rules sit with the city permit desk and the pretreatment program that serves the connection, including Metro Water Recovery in much of the metro. Full-service kitchens often need a gravity interceptor. Indoor units usually need written approval. Confirm the current standard for your exact address. Do not copy a Boulder or Springs spec onto a Denver job.
Who pumps grease traps in Colorado?
Private liquid-waste haulers. Some utilities keep a registered hauler list. The hauler must take the waste to a facility allowed to receive interceptor contents. Ask for the dump ticket every time. Confirm registration rules with your utility. I would fire a hauler who cannot name the receiving plant.
Do I need a grease interceptor for a coffee shop in Colorado?
Maybe not, if the menu has no greasy waste and the utility agrees in writing. Add a panini grill with a grease-laden drip and the answer flips. Get the waiver or the sizing letter before you open. Verbal approval is not a file you can show an inspector.
What is the 25 percent rule for grease traps?
Pump when floating FOG plus settled solids occupy 25 percent of the interceptor's liquid depth. U.S. EPA describes that trigger as common practice in food-service pretreatment. Your city may add a fixed 30, 60, or 90 day schedule. Measure both layers. Skimming the top is not a full pump-out.
Are enzyme treatments legal instead of a grease trap in Colorado?
Not as a substitute where the plumbing code or the utility requires an interceptor. Additives can push grease downstream and create a worse clog. I would treat drip bottles as a waste of money if you are using them to dodge a tank. Confirm any additive ban in the local FOG ordinance.
Does a food truck need a grease trap in Colorado?
The truck usually needs a licensed commissary that already has interceptor capacity, plus whatever the local health agency and the commissary's utility require. Do not dump fryer oil in a park drain. Confirm commissary rules with the health department that licenses the truck.
Where does grease trap waste go in Colorado?
To a facility allowed to take interceptor waste, not to a storm inlet and not onto a field. Brown grease is not the same stream as yellow fryer oil. Keep the manifest or trip ticket. Confirm the receiving site with the hauler and the utility. Illegal dumping is a law problem, not a paperwork shortcut.
What code section covers grease interceptors in Colorado?
Plan reviewers point at International Plumbing Code section 1003 (interceptors and separators) as used in the Colorado Plumbing Code, plus the local utility's FOG rules. Federal pretreatment sits in 40 CFR Part 403. Retail food rules still want the fixture accessible for cleaning. Confirm the code year your city adopted.
Do I need a FOG permit and a plumbing permit?
Often yes, two different papers. The plumbing permit is the building department. The FOG or wastewater permit is the utility. Some small towns combine them. Ask both desks. One stamp does not create the other.
Sources
- eCFR, 40 CFR 403.5 National pretreatment standards: Prohibited discharges: Federal rules prohibit introducing solid or viscous pollutants into a POTW in amounts that cause obstruction and interference.
- U.S. EPA, Introduction to the National Pretreatment Program (EPA-833-B-11-001): The National Pretreatment Program is implemented as a cooperative federal, state, and local program that POTWs carry out on the ground.
- eCFR, 40 CFR 403.8 Pretreatment program requirements: Development and implementation by POTW: Approved POTWs must develop and enforce local pretreatment programs, which is the legal hook for city FOG interceptor rules.
- Colorado DORA, State Plumbing Board laws, rules, and policies: The State Plumbing Board maintains Colorado plumbing licensing rules and the state plumbing code used for interceptor installations.
- Colorado General Assembly, Colorado Revised Statutes Title 12 (Professions and Occupations, including Article 155 Plumbers): Colorado statute requires a board-issued license to work as a residential, journeyman, or master plumber.
- Metro Water Recovery, Industrial Pretreatment program page: Metro Water Recovery administers industrial pretreatment for a large Denver-area service territory, separate from city building permits.
- CDPHE, Retail food regulations and statutes: Colorado retail food establishments are licensed and inspected under CDPHE rules (6 CCR 1010-2) administered by local public health.
- Colorado General Assembly, Colorado Revised Statutes Title 25 (including the Colorado Food Protection Act): The Colorado Food Protection Act is the statutory base for retail food establishment licensing.
- U.S. EPA, Controlling Fats, Oils, and Grease Discharges from Food Service Establishments (EPA 833-F-12-003, 2012): EPA's food-service FOG fact sheet treats pumping when FOG and solids reach 25 percent of interceptor capacity as common pretreatment practice.
- U.S. FDA, Food Code 2022, section 5-402.12 Grease Trap: FDA Food Code requires a grease trap, if used, to be located so it is easily accessible for cleaning.
- eCFR, 40 CFR 403.2 Objectives of general pretreatment regulations: Pretreatment rules exist to prevent pollutants from interfering with POTW operation, which is why local utilities require grease interceptors.