Dallas grease trap cleaning and backflow test rules
Dallas sets its own rules for grease trap cleaning and backflow test. Here is what they say, followed by the Texas rules for everything else.
Grease trap cleaning in Dallas
Applies when: Food service establishment in Dallas Water Utilities' service area with a grease trap or interceptor.
What happens: A licensed hauler completely empties the trap. The hauler presents a City of Dallas Liquid Waste Transportation Manifest before removing waste, and you and the hauler both sign it.
Who may do it: A liquid waste hauler licensed by TCEQ and permitted by Dallas Water Utilities (City Code ch. 19, sec. 19-126.2(c)).
Your part: Pump sooner than 90 days if 25 percent of the wetted height (trap bottom to outlet invert) holds grease or solids. You must supervise the cleaning and confirm 100 percent of the contents are removed.
Filing: Keep the completed manifest on the premises for three years, available for city staff. No online filing by the restaurant was found. Dallas Water Utilities, Pretreatment Program
Backflow testing in Dallas
Applies when: High-hazard backflow assembly on a Dallas water service (Dallas sends notice letters).
What happens: A City-registered, TCEQ-licensed tester tests the assembly and uploads the report to SwiftComply.
Who may do it: A licensed backflow tester registered with the City of Dallas Building Inspection office and enrolled in SwiftComply.
Your part: If a device fails, you have 30 days to repair and retest. Irrigation systems get no mandatory annual test, only after new, repaired or replaced devices.
Filing (SwiftComply): Only registered testers upload. A passed test costs $15 to submit on the portal (failed tests exempt). From Sept 25, 2026, tests tied to a permit carry the permit number and address. Dallas Water Utilities and Building Inspection
Every inspection for a Dallas building
| Inspection | How often | Who may do it | Paperwork |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fire extinguisher inspection | Every year | A Type B (portable extinguisher), Type A or Type PL licensee working for a company with a Texas State Fire Marshal's Office Extinguisher Certificate of Registration. DOT cylinder hydrostatic tests need a Type C registered company. | The licensee attaches a signed service tag after any service. For a red tag the licensee must tell the owner in writing, and tell the local fire marshal within 24 hours and send a copy of the owner notice within three business days. |
| Fire sprinkler inspection | Every year | A company holding a Texas Sprinkler Certificate of Registration with a Responsible Managing Employee licence (General, or General Inspector for inspections), from the State Fire Marshal's Office. | A yellow tag needs written notice to the owner and the local fire marshal within five business days. A red tag needs written notice within 24 hours. Routine reports may also go to a city portal (not confirmed per city). |
| Fire alarm inspection | Every 6 months | A company with a Texas Alarm Certificate of Registration whose licensed employee holds a Fire Alarm Technician or Planning Superintendent licence, from the State Fire Marshal's Office. | The licensee signs the inspection/test label and attaches it to the panel. If the system fails or is impaired, the licensee notifies the owner and the local fire marshal, and again when it is fixed. |
| Kitchen fire suppression inspection | Every 6 months | A Type K (kitchen cooking systems) or Type A (fixed system) licensee, working for a company with an Extinguisher Certificate of Registration, from the State Fire Marshal's Office. | The licensee attaches a signed service tag after every service. A red tag requires owner notice at once and fire marshal notice within 24 hours. |
| Kitchen hood cleaningNational baseline, no local rule on file | Every month to every year, by type | NFPA 96 calls for trained, qualified, certified cleaners acceptable to the authority having jurisdiction. Most states have no hood cleaner licence. | The cleaner documents each cleaning and gives the owner a report. NFPA 96 expects records kept for the fire inspector. |
| Grease trap cleaning | Every 3 months | A liquid waste hauler licensed by TCEQ and permitted by Dallas Water Utilities (City Code ch. 19, sec. 19-126.2(c)). | Keep the completed manifest on the premises for three years, available for city staff. No online filing by the restaurant was found. |
| Backflow testing | Every year | A licensed backflow tester registered with the City of Dallas Building Inspection office and enrolled in SwiftComply. | SwiftComply. Only registered testers upload. A passed test costs $15 to submit on the portal (failed tests exempt). From Sept 25, 2026, tests tied to a permit carry the permit number and address. |
| Boiler inspection | Every year to every 3 years, by type | A boiler inspector commissioned by TDLR. Insured boilers are inspected by the insurer's inspector (an Authorized Inspection Agency). Uninsured boilers by a TDLR deputy inspector. | TDLR online services (boiler invoices and certificates). The inspector reports to TDLR. The owner pays the invoice and prints the certificate from TDLR online services, and posts it. A late inspection fee of $25 per day (first 30 days), then $50, then $100 applies to owner and inspection agency. |
Check your building's dates with the free checker.
Sources
- 28 TAC 34.507, NFPA standards adopted (fire extinguisher rules), 28 Tex. Admin. Code 34.507 (NFPA 10-2018, 17A-2021, 25-2020, 96-2021; effective 9/1/2023). Read Oct 23, 2026.
- 28 TAC 34.520, service tags, 28 Tex. Admin. Code 34.520 (service tag contents, size, attach after every service). Read Oct 23, 2026.
- 28 TAC 34.521, red tags, 28 Tex. Admin. Code 34.521 (red tag contents, owner and AHJ notice deadlines). Read Oct 23, 2026.
- TDI State Fire Marshal's Office, fire extinguisher registration, license and test information, Insurance Code ch. 6001; 28 TAC ch. 34 subch. E (licence types Type B, Type K, Type A, Type PL; company Certificate of Registration). Read Oct 23, 2026.
- Texas Insurance Code ch. 6001, Fire Extinguisher Service and Installation, Tex. Ins. Code 6001.051 and chapter headings (registration, licensing, renewal, enforcement). Read Oct 23, 2026.
- OSHA portable fire extinguisher rule, 29 CFR 1910.157(e) and Table L-1 (monthly visual check, annual maintenance, 6-year emptying, hydrostatic test intervals). Read Oct 23, 2026.
- 28 TAC 34.707, fire sprinkler rules, standards adopted, 28 Tex. Admin. Code 34.707 (NFPA 25-2020, NFPA 13-2019 and others). Read Oct 23, 2026.
- 28 TAC 34.721, sprinkler yellow tags, 28 Tex. Admin. Code 34.721. Read Oct 23, 2026.
- 28 TAC 34.722, sprinkler red tags, 28 Tex. Admin. Code 34.722. Read Oct 23, 2026.
- TDI State Fire Marshal's Office, fire sprinkler registration, license and test information, Insurance Code ch. 6003; 28 TAC ch. 34 subch. G (Sprinkler Certificate of Registration, RME licences incl. General Inspector). Read Oct 23, 2026.
- Texas Insurance Code ch. 6003, fire protection sprinkler systems, Tex. Ins. Code 6003.051. Read Oct 23, 2026.
- 28 TAC 34.607, fire alarm rules, standards adopted, 28 Tex. Admin. Code 34.607 (NFPA 72-2019, NFPA 25-2020 and others). Read Oct 23, 2026.
- 28 TAC 34.622, fire alarm inspection/test label, 28 Tex. Admin. Code 34.622. Read Oct 23, 2026.
- TDI State Fire Marshal's Office, fire alarm registration, license and test information, Insurance Code ch. 6002; 28 TAC ch. 34 subch. F (Alarm Certificate of Registration, Fire Alarm Technician and related licences). Read Oct 23, 2026.
- Texas Insurance Code ch. 6002, fire alarm, Tex. Ins. Code 6002.051. Read Oct 23, 2026.
- Minnesota Department of Health, Protection of Kitchen Cooking Equipment, NFPA 96 (2011) 11.2.1, 11.2.4, 11.4 and Table 11.4; NFPA 17A (2009) 7.2.2 and 7.5.1. Read Oct 23, 2026.
- Marysville Fire District, Restaurant Owner's Guide to Exhaust Hood Cleaning, NFPA 96 hood cleaning schedule by cooking volume. Read Oct 23, 2026.
- Portland Fire & Rescue, FIR-8.08 Commercial Kitchen Exhaust, Section III.B.3, minimum cleaning frequency by cooking type (NFPA 96, 2011 edition referenced). Read Oct 23, 2026.
- City of Dallas Pretreatment Program FAQ, Dallas City Code ch. 19, sec. 19-126.2(c). Read Oct 23, 2026.
- City of Dallas, Grease Traps and Interceptors poster, 90 days or 25 percent; manifest steps; three-year record. Read Oct 23, 2026.
- Dallas Water Utilities, Backflow Test Reports, SwiftComply submission; high-hazard assemblies annual; 30 days to repair. Read Oct 23, 2026.
- 30 TAC 290.44, water distribution, subsection (h) cross-connection control, 30 Tex. Admin. Code 290.44(h)(4): testing on installation and at least annually by a licensed BPAT; (h)(4)(C): signed original to the public water supplier. Read Oct 23, 2026.
- Texas Health and Safety Code 755.025, boiler inspection, Tex. Health & Safety Code 755.025(b)-(d): annual, biennial and triennial certificate inspections by boiler type. Read Oct 23, 2026.
- Texas Health and Safety Code 755.026, extension of internal inspection interval, Tex. Health & Safety Code 755.026. Read Oct 23, 2026.
- 16 TAC 65.61, inspection of all boilers required, 16 Tex. Admin. Code 65.61 (certificate inspection before certificate expires; AIA inspects insured boilers, TDLR the rest). Read Oct 23, 2026.
- TDLR Boiler Safety at a Glance (Dec. 2025), Ch. 755 Health and Safety Code; 16 TAC ch. 65; late inspection fees. Read Oct 23, 2026.
- TDLR Boiler Safety FAQ, Owner/operator duties: pay fees, post certificate on or near the boiler; certificate printed from TDLR online services once fees are paid. Read Oct 23, 2026.