Reno’s code has no “every 90 days.” Your Environmental Control permit names your frequency, and the tank “must be cleaned whenever the combined thickness of the floating greases and settled solids is greater than 25 percent of the design hydraulic depth” (RMC 12.16.555(b)(6)(ii)a). So the honest cost question is not “what does a pump-out cost” but “how many pump-outs does my kitchen generate in a year.” That number is set by meals, menu and tank size, and it is the number this page estimates.
Reno’s 750-gallon minimum (12.16.555(b)(4)) means even the coffee shop row below is an outdoor interceptor, not an under-sink trap, unless a variance was granted under (b)(5).
Estimated annual cost by kitchen type
| Kitchen | Assumed | Device | Est. interval | Services / yr | Per service* | Per year* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coffee shop or bakery | 150 meals/day, 0.7× load, 6 days/wk | 750-gal interceptor (Reno minimum) (750 gal) | ~352 days | 2 | $350–$700 | $700–$1,400 |
| Pizza, sandwich or taco shop | 250 meals/day, 1× load, 7 days/wk | 750-gal interceptor (750 gal) | ~127 days | 3 | $350–$700 | $1,050–$2,100 |
| Full-service restaurant | 300 meals/day, 1× load, 7 days/wk | 1,000-gal interceptor (1,000 gal) | ~141 days | 3 | $350–$700 | $1,050–$2,100 |
| Fryer-heavy quick service, wings, BBQ | 400 meals/day, 1.5× load, 7 days/wk | 1,000-gal interceptor (1,000 gal) | ~70 days | 6 | $350–$700 | $2,100–$4,200 |
| Institution: school, hospital, 24-hour kitchen | 1200 meals/day, 1× load, 7 days/wk | 3,000-gal interceptor (3,000 gal) | ~106 days | 4 | $900–$1,600 | $3,600–$6,400 |
*Per-service figures are the ranges already on this site’s cost page (nobody in this market publishes a grease price, us included; see that page for where the ranges come from). Intervals come from the same accumulation model as the calculator: about 0.035 lb of grease and solids per meal, scaled by menu, 7.4 lb per gallon, pumped when the device reaches 20% of capacity so it never operates over the 25% line. Reno has no calendar cap: your Environmental Control permit sets the interval and the 25% rule applies regardless (RMC 12.16.555(b)(6)(ii)a). Annual = services per year × per-service range. The first pump-out reading replaces every estimate on this page.
Reading the rows
- Coffee shop or bakery. Light grease load on the smallest legal tank. The model says the tank fills slowly; your EC permit interval, not the 25% rule, will usually be the binding clock. If the permit says quarterly, budget four visits.
- Pizza, sandwich, taco. Typical load at modest volume. On a 750 the model lands at roughly every four months; if your EC permit says quarterly, the permit binds first and you budget four visits.
- Full-service restaurant. The 1,000-gallon tank buys time; the model says four to five months to the 20% planning line. A quarterly permit interval binds first; a busier seven-day week than assumed moves it to the fill line.
- Fryer-heavy. The 1.5× load factor is the calculator’s own “heavy” setting. These kitchens are the reason the code lets the city “require more frequent cleaning” ((ii)b).
- Institutions and 24-hour kitchens. Named in the code (schools, nursing homes) and sized with a storage factor of 3 for 16–24 hour operation. Even a 3,000-gallon tank lands at about three and a half months behind a 1,200-meal day. The size buys retention time for the sewer, not a long interval for you.
What is not in the table
Emergency call-outs, line jetting after a backup, a city-performed pump-out billed back to you ((ii)d), and civil penalties up to $1,000 per day per violation (12.16.811(b)). A kitchen that keeps the schedule above never sees those lines. One that does not can spend a year’s service budget on a single bad week.
How to turn an estimate into your number
Run the calculator with your real tank size and meal count. Book the first pump-out. The depth reading we take that day tells us how fast your tank actually fills; the second visit is scheduled from that reading, not from this table, and it becomes the frequency you propose for your EC permit.
Your tank, your number
Tank size and meals per day. We quote flat, and the first reading sets the real interval.
Call (775) 593-8701