Updated September 2026
Calgary food service establishments — restaurants, commercial kitchens and food production facilities — operate under the City of Calgary's Wastewater Bylaw 14M2012. The City also runs a fats, oils and grease (FOG) program aimed at keeping cooking grease out of the sewer system, where it hardens, blocks pipes and causes backups.
Why the City cares about FOG
Grease that reaches the sewer does not stay liquid. It cools, solidifies and accumulates on pipe walls, reducing capacity and eventually causing blockages and sewer backups — sometimes into the buildings that produced it. Interceptors exist to slow wastewater down so fats, oils and grease separate out before discharge.
What this means in practice
- Food service establishments are expected to have effective pre-treatment — a properly sized, properly working grease interceptor or trap.
- The unit has to actually function, which means being cleaned before it stops separating grease from wastewater.
- Maintenance needs to be demonstrable. If you cannot show when the unit was last serviced, you effectively cannot show it is being maintained.
- Discharging accumulated grease to the sewer, or bypassing the interceptor, is not an acceptable substitute for having it pumped out and removed.
Bylaw updates
The City amended Wastewater Bylaw 14M2012 with changes taking effect in 2025, and published a summary of what changed for food service establishments. If your maintenance practices were set years ago, it is worth reading the City's current material rather than relying on what a previous contractor told you.
The documentation side
The part most operators underestimate is record-keeping. A service record showing the date, the unit serviced, what was removed and its condition is the difference between a short conversation and a difficult one. We provide that record for every visit, which is why our service reports include measurements rather than just a completion note.
Outside Calgary
Airdrie and Chestermere are separate municipalities and administer their own wastewater requirements. If your site is outside Calgary city limits, confirm your obligations with that municipality — the servicing and documentation work is identical, but the authority is not.
This page is general information for commercial operators, not legal advice. Requirements change and enforcement is up to the relevant municipality — confirm the current rules with your city before relying on them.
Sources
Frequently asked
Does the City of Calgary require grease trap service records?
The City's FOG program for food service establishments is built around effective pre-treatment and demonstrable maintenance, so records are the practical way to show your interceptor is being maintained. Confirm your specific obligations with the City of Calgary.
Can grease be flushed to the sewer if it is diluted?
No. Diluting or flushing accumulated grease defeats the purpose of the interceptor. Collected FOG has to be removed from the site and handled at a licensed receiving facility.