Frequently Asked Questions

Contact the City of Republic’s BUILDS Department for a free inspection of your establishment and assistance with FOGS permitting. 

No. Individual evaluations are required for each establishment. For instance, for food preparation and service establishments, assessment results are based on daily number of people served, grease content of menu items served, and other factors. For commercial, automotive and industrial operations, assessment results are based on the number of floor drains located in work areas, square footage of work areas and other factors. 

The BUILDS Department will help with a determination and provide you with a waiver of FOGS removal equipment under your Permit to Discharge. As with any Permit to Discharge, periodic review of the waiver will be established. 

By law, every connection to the City wastewater collection system is responsible for the quality of the discharge it conveys. 

Yes, pre-treatment by business owners is the most effective method of FOGS control.

Maintenance and cleaning of the FOGS equipment will vary with the establishment. Minimum   maintenance intervals will be established as requirements of the Permit for Discharge issued by the BUILDS Department.

Renderable fats collected in food preparation establishments can be recycled and used for many purposes such as heating fuels, animal feed, and industrial lubricants. Petroleum oils can be recycled for purposes such as heating fuels and asphalt.

When FOGS equipment is not maintained and cleaned regularly, contents become acidic, will smell and attract vermin. More importantly, proper maintenance is required for FOGS equipment to separate FOGS from water efficiently. Irregular maintenance leads to blockages, overflows, and discharges exceeding maximum contaminant levels which can lead to costly repairs, cleaning and assessed fines. 

Regular sampling and observation of discharges can prevent problems from materializing, resulting in reduced operations costs from FOGS equipment. 

In restaurants and commercial establishments where FOGS is produced in greater quantities, training employees and staff to remove FOGS from dishware, floors and workspaces can reduce FOGS in sewers. Those establishments are also required to ‘pretreat’ sewage discharge by installing FOGS interceptors, separating FOGS from water and allowing for periodic cleaning of the device.

Yes. The Code of Ordinances allows the City to recover the costs associated with blockages and overflows from private parties. 

FOGS are a group of commonly discharged pollutants from food service establishments, automotive repair shops, industry, and residential users of the public sewer system that are easier to dispose of before they reach the city sewer to prevent damage and blockages.