What is prohibited and what is limited
It is unlawful to discharge to the county sewer “solid or viscous substances which may cause flow obstructions or interference with the operation of wastewater treatment facilities” (Henrico Code §23-116(12)). Unless a permit says otherwise, no user may discharge wastewater exceeding the county’s maximum daily limits, which for grease are:
| Pollutant (§23-117) | Maximum daily discharge |
|---|---|
| Oil and grease, animal- or vegetable-based | 300 mg/L |
| Oil and grease, petroleum-based | 100 mg/L |
| pH | 5–11 |
“The limits ... apply at the point where the wastewater is discharged to the POTW” (§23-117(b)). New construction and renovations with non-domestic discharges must provide a monitoring manhole, maintained “in a safe, accessible and proper operating condition at all times” (§23-114).
The cleaning interval: none in the code
We searched every section of Chapter 23 for a grease-specific rule. There is no FOG section, no 25% rule, no 80% rule, no 90 days. The code governs by limit and enforcement. County web guidance on interceptor maintenance exists but sits behind a bot wall we could not read, so we do not quote it; if a county inspector hands you a maintenance expectation, it comes from that guidance or your permit, not from Chapter 23.
If something goes wrong
“Users must orally notify the director of any violation of a permit or of article II, division 3, 4, or 5 of this chapter, within 24 hours after becoming aware of the violation. Within five days after the date of the violation, the user must submit to the director a detailed written statement” (§23-150(a)). The director may require corrective measures to prevent prohibited discharges.
The enforcement ladder (§23-151)
- Notice of violation. “Within five days of the receipt of such notice, the user must provide the director a written explanation of the violation and a plan for the satisfactory correction.”
- Compliance order. “If the user does not become compliant within the time provided, the director may discontinue sewer service until the user installs and properly operates adequate treatment facilities, devices, or other related appurtenances.”
Records: whose duty
Henrico puts the manifest on the hauler, not the restaurant: every waste hauler discharging in the county “must maintain a manifest” with the customer’s name and address, the load’s origin, “the nature and volume of the waste,” the kind of facility (“grease trap, septic tank, etc.”), the date, and the discharge location, presented at the treatment facility on Kingsland Road (§23-81). There is no on-site log requirement on the kitchen in the code — which is exactly why you should keep one: when a 24-hour notice is due and the director asks for your correction plan, a dated receipt with gallons removed is the plan. The one-folder system →
What we do in Henrico
Full pump-outs with a receipt that carries everything the hauler manifest carries, so your file matches the county’s; a planning interval built on the 25% working rule the city next door uses, because the county gives you none; and, if you have had a notice, the written correction plan the five-day clock asks for.