Coral Gables restaurant owners could save tens of thousands of dollars under proposed changes to Miami-Dade County's grease-trap rules.

A mayoral review of the county's Fats, Oils and Grease (FOG) program, released Sept. 21, recommends letting operators repair minor breaches in existing grease traps rather than replacing entire systems. Andrew Platt, managing director of AHA Hospitality Group and co-founder of Coral Gables-based Ernie's Acai, outlined the proposals in an op-ed published by Miami's Community Newspapers on Sept. 29.

Under current rules, a breached grease trap triggers a 90-day deadline to obtain permits and install a brand-new system that meets updated standards. Gravity interceptor systems alone can cost more than $40,000, according to industry compliance guides. That bill falls on the operator.

The review also proposes a fast-tracked annual inspection process for "no-cook" and low-risk establishments whose operations pose minimal risk to the county sewer system. That change would reduce both inspection costs and paperwork for qualifying businesses.

A third proposal would require commercial landlords to disclose the full condition and history of a property's FOG system, along with its septic status, before a lease is signed. Platt wrote that the measure would prevent new restaurant owners "from inheriting thousands of dollars in hidden compliance costs before they ever open their doors."

Miami-Dade already has a FOG disclosure rule on the books. Section 21-49.2 of the county code, effective since April 2023, requires sellers and lessors of properties with grease systems to provide a disclosure statement before a sale or lease closes. Whether the new proposal expands that existing requirement or creates a separate obligation is not clear from the available record.

The Miami-Dade County Commission ordered the review in February 2026 through Resolution No. R-128-26, directing the county mayor to study whether FOG rules could be enforced in a less financially burdensome way. The county's Department of Regulatory and Economic Resources (RER) administers the program.

The FOG program dates to March 2018, when it became mandatory under a federal consent decree among Miami-Dade County, the United States and the State of Florida. The decree required the county to curb grease discharges threatening the Biscayne Aquifer. Because the rules are tied to that federal agreement, any substantive changes still need approval from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP).

No date for a County Commission vote or public comment period on the proposed changes has been announced.