Palo Alto staff outline new fats, oils and grease and stormwater rules; secondary containment proposed for fryer oil

City of Palo Alto public works staff told the Retail Committee on June 18 that they will return to the City Council this summer with four ordinance updates to separate and clarify sewer, stormwater and hauled-waste rules affecting food businesses and other commercial properties.

The staff presentation said the package will include a revised sewer-use ordinance (pretreatment), a stormwater ordinance aligned with the Municipal Regional Stormwater Permit, a new fats, oils and grease (FOG) ordinance, and a hauled-waste ordinance for septic haulers. “We’re creating two new ordinances,” Assistant Public Works Director Cara North said, and said the changes are intended to simplify compliance for restaurants and haulers.

Why this matters: staff said the changes are intended to reduce sanitary sewer overflows and prevent pollutants from reaching San Francisco Bay, while giving businesses clearer, enforceable standards. The proposal would change what devices restaurants must install or maintain, require secondary containment for outdoor fryer oil, add trash-control responsibilities for properties with on-site storm drains, and add best-management-practice requirements for mobile businesses.

Key details

- Ordinance package and schedule: Staff said they will bring the full packet to council in August and are requesting comments from businesses by July 15. The four-chapter update will include: revisions to the sewer-use ordinance, a streamlined stormwater ordinance, a new fats, oils and grease (FOG) ordinance, and a hauled-waste ordinance for septic haulers.

- Grease control devices (GCDs): FOG inspector Gaba Stafford described proposed standards for GCDs that would change acceptable construction materials to corrosion-resistant options such as fiberglass or certain plastics, add sizing factors tied to cuisine type and estimated meals served (not just flow rate), and expand which kitchen fixtures are required to connect to the GCD. Stafford said the city will provide alternate compliance pathways for sites with special constraints.

- Secondary containment for fryer oil: Staff proposed a specific requirement — a proposed effective date of January 1, 2026 — that outdoor fryer-oil containers be covered, locked, labeled and placed in secondary containment to prevent drips and spills into alleys and storm drains. Staff estimated typical containment solutions would cost “in the thousand-dollar range” per business and said they are coordinating with the Fire Department on acceptable designs.

- Trash-capture and mobile-business rules: As part of the Municipal Regional Stormwater Permit, properties with on-site storm drains will be required to prevent trash from entering the storm system, either through routine cleanups or by installing small trash-capture devices in catch basins. Mobile service providers (for example, pressure washing or carpet cleaning) will be subject to specific BMPs, and businesses that hire mobile providers share responsibility to ensure the work does not leave debris.

- Inspections, haulers and enforcement approach: Staff described a compliance approach that relies on plan review, inspections, self-reporting, and hauler notifications. Stafford and staff said many haulers report damaged GCDs when they pump them out; the city uses those reports to target follow-up inspections. Where devices are failing or have caused sanitary sewer overflows, staff said they pursue compliance agreements rather than immediate removal orders and will give businesses time to implement fixes.

- Where the captured materials go: City staff said waste fryer oil and grease removed from GCDs are hauled to facilities that can accept organic waste; some facilities use anaerobic digesters to convert fats and grease into energy or class A biosolids. The city’s solids-handling program has been restructured since removal of an incinerator and now sends biosolids to regional processors while staff develops a long-range facility plan.

Questions from council and public follow-up

Committee members pressed staff on current compliance, cost impacts, space constraints in downtown alleys, and how the rules would interact with outdoor dining and temporary expansions. Staff said many newer, corrosion-resistant devices are already installed in the city, that compliance is generally “rather high,” and that the proposed rules largely codify practices the city has been encouraging for about a decade. They emphasized outreach already underway (emails, recorded meetings, door-to-door visits) and promised continued collaboration with businesses on special-case solutions.

Staff also described outreach and limited resident education around FOG, including seasonal utility-bill inserts and targeted door-hangers in problem neighborhoods. On discharges from RVs and unhoused encampments, staff said the issue is regional and legally sensitive; sampling could create liability under the stormwater permit, and regional discussions about service options for RVs and septic receiving stations are ongoing.

What the city is asking for now

Staff asked businesses and restaurants to submit questions or comments by July 15; staff said they will bring feedback to council with the August staff report. The presentation materials and a redline draft ordinance are available on the department website, and staff said they will continue outreach once ordinances are adopted to support compliance.

Ending note

Staff stressed the proposals are intended to prevent sewer backups, reduce sanitary sewer overflows and keep trash and FOG out of the Bay while giving restaurants clearer, simpler rules to follow. There were no formal motions or votes at the committee meeting on June 18; staff will return to council with proposed ordinances in August.