Municipal

Grease interceptor

A food business that sends fat, oil or grease down the drain needs a grease interceptor — a tank that catches it before it blocks the sewer. In Greater Victoria the CRD’s bylaw requires one and wants its Waste Discharge Assessment Form before you choose it; Victoria wants the CRD’s answer before it issues your building permit. Nanaimo, Courtenay, Duncan and North Cowichan have their own bylaws requiring one. Food trucks are exempt.

Who issues it
The CRD in Greater Victoria; your municipality elsewhere
Cost
CRD fines reach $10,000 a day.
Forms and pages

Do you need it?

You need it if

  • Your kitchen sends fat, oil or grease down the drain — restaurants, cafés, bakeries, delis, butchers, grocers with prep, food processors.

You don’t need it if

  • You run a food truck: the CRD’s rules exclude mobile food services.
  • Your premises is on a septic system rather than a municipal sewer — ask your municipality.
Where this comes from

Sources

How to get it

  1. 1

    In Greater Victoria, start with the CRD form

    File a Waste Discharge Assessment Form with the Capital Regional District before you choose the interceptor. Victoria wants the CRD’s answer before it issues your building permit.

  2. 2

    Size it and connect the right fixtures

    Dishwashing, pot, prep and barista sinks, dishwashers and cooking-equipment drains go through the interceptor; toilets, urinals and hand sinks must not. It must be certified and sized for your flows.

  3. 3

    Install it under your plumbing permit

    Your plumber installs it as part of the building or plumbing permit; several municipalities charge a small fixture fee for an interceptor.

  4. 4

    Pump it out on schedule, and keep records

    At least every 12 months, and before grease and solids reach a quarter of its depth. Keep two years of maintenance records.

Where this comes from

Sources

Whose rules apply

Grease interceptor rules by area
AreaRule
Greater Victoria (CRD sewers, including Saanich, Esquimalt, Oak Bay, Colwood, Langford and Sidney)CRD Sewer Use Bylaw, Schedule I: an interceptor wherever wastewater carries fat, oil or grease; the Waste Discharge Assessment Form first; fines up to $10,000 a day.
NanaimoThe City’s sewer bylaw requires one where wastewater carries excessive grease.
CourtenayThe City’s sewer bylaw requires one for every food sector establishment discharging oil and grease; pump before buildup reaches 25% or six inches; keep two years of records.
DuncanThe City’s sewer bylaw requires grease and oil interceptors for all food preparation facilities.
North CowichanThe municipal sewer bylaw (Crofton, Chemainus, South End) requires them for all food preparation facilities.
Where this comes from

Sources

Once you have it

  • Altering the fixtures connected to it, or replacing it, needs a new CRD form first in Greater Victoria.
  • Grease removed from it never goes in regular garbage.
Where this comes from

Sources

What comes next

Gas and propane workTechnical Safety BCFire inspection and kitchen fire safetyYour fire department

Which businesses need it

Restaurants & cafésOpening or running a restaurant, café, take-out or coffee shop.BakeriesA commercial bakery, with or without a counter.Caterers & personal chefsIf you build your own kitchenDelivery-only & ghost kitchensIf you build your own kitchenPackaged food makersIf you build your own kitchenButchers, delis & fishmongersCutting and selling meat, fish or deli foods.

The rules behind this page

Last checked 9 October 2026. We check this guide regularly against Island Health, provincial and municipal sources, but regulations and laws change often and we can’t guarantee it is complete or current. Confirm with Island Health and your municipality before you apply, build or sell.

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