When to call it an emergency
- Three-compartment sink backing up during service
- Grease water at a floor drain or interceptor lid
- Grease visible in the sample box — the code says pump “immediately” (8.03.5080.B.2)
- An inspector on the way and a device you know is over 25%
What happens when you call
You describe what is under the lid and what is on the floor. We tell you pump-out or line problem, quote a flat emergency price, give an arrival window. On site: pumped dry, baffles and tees washed, outlet checked, record in hand. If the blockage is past the device, you hear that before a hose comes off the truck.
If grease reached the sewer
County sewer emergencies: (509) 477-1984, after hours (509) 459-9330. City of Spokane: (509) 625-7900. Reporting it yourself is cheaper than being traced to it; a same-day pump-out record is the document that argues for you under 8.03A.0213.
Plain-English guidance, not legal advice. Quotations are from Spokane County Code
Chapter 8.03 (Sewer Use) and 8.03A (Pretreatment), Municode version dated Sep 11, 2026, read 2026-10-08.
The City of Spokane (SMC 13.03A) and Spokane Valley (SVMC 22.160) publish their own FOG rules through
eCode360, which we could not read directly; where this site describes them it says so. Confirm current
requirements with the county’s FOG program at (509) 477-7579.