Official sources checked: October 20, 2026. This guide separates the duties of food businesses, haulers, self-cleaners and disposal facilities. Use the linked official rules and your sewer authority's requirements for your operation.
Which rules apply?
Section 403.0741, Florida Statutes governs grease waste disposal and documentation. Chapter 62-705, Florida Administrative Code supplies implementing rules, effective December 7, 2025. These dates do not establish a general enforcement grace period.
Duties by role
Originator, such as a restaurant or commercial kitchen
Obtain the signed service manifest and confirm authorized disposal. Keep a completed signed manifest onsite for one year under Section 403.0741(3)(e).
Hired grease waste hauler
Obtain DEP licensing and use the required service manifest. Apply 30 days before starting. DEP's deadline for existing haulers was before June 5, 2026. Renew by March 1; licences expire April 1. Keep manifests for one year.
Qualifying self-cleaner
Handle waste from a trap with storage capacity of 55 gallons or less at the originator's own establishment. The licensing exception does not remove other hauler duties. Keep signed manifests and follow the applicable handling and disposal requirements.
Disposal facility
Hold the applicable DEP permit or certification for receiving grease waste. DEP says existing facilities must apply before December 7, 2026 unless already permitted. Certification lasts three years; renew 60 days before expiry. Keep monthly records and follow the facility's applicable rule and permit.
Sources: DEP programme and official forms, DEP programme factsheet, and Section 403.0741. A three-year certification term is not the same thing as a record-retention period.
Can a business clean its own small trap?
The DEP factsheet defines the self-cleaner category using trap storage capacity of 55 gallons or less, not the amount collected on a particular visit. It covers an originator removing and transporting its own grease waste. Self-cleaners follow the hauler rules except licensing. Disposal must still be at an authorized permitted or certified facility, and signed manifests are still required.
Confirm eligibility and handling conditions under Rule 62-705.200 and Rule 62-705.300 with DEP before relying on the exception. It is not permission to haul another business's waste or to discharge grease into a drain.
Keep the complete manifest
Electronic or paper manifests are allowed. The originator and hauler sign at collection during opening hours; the statute specifies an alternative when the premises are closed. The hauler and receiving facility sign at disposal. The hauler must provide the completed manifest to the originator and the relevant county and municipality within 30 days after disposal.
Section 403.0741(3)(e) requires originators and haulers to retain the completed signed copy onsite for one year. Check whether your local authority or permit requires longer retention. Use DEP Form 62-705.300(3) and its completion guidance.
Check local requirements and credentials
Section 403.0741(6)(b) allows stricter or more extensive local rules. Confirm the cleaning interval, local permits and inspection requirements with the sewer authority serving your exact establishment. Chapter 62-705 does not establish one universal 30-to-90-day cleaning schedule.
Before hiring, ask for the hauler's licence number, check the legal entity and current status with DEP, request current insurance evidence, and agree how manifests and disposal records will be supplied. Our company directory helps compare listings. Business-presence badges do not certify licensing, insurance or legal compliance.
Penalties depend on the violation and role
Section 403.0741(5) sets specified penalties for haulers, including missing manifests, failure to clean and unlawful disposal. It also provides licence consequences. Those provisions should not be turned into an automatic restaurant fine or a universal fine range. Check the applicable statute, rule and local ordinance for the actual circumstances.