Restaurant hood cleaning: how often, and what the code says

Last updated October 24, 2026.

How often a commercial kitchen hood, duct and exhaust fan must be inspected and cleaned, what buildup triggers a cleaning, and what paperwork to keep, from NFPA 96, the Austin fire code and the Houston Fire Department.

How often does a restaurant hood need to be cleaned?

NFPA 96, the fire standard for commercial kitchen exhaust, sets grease-buildup inspections monthly for solid-fuel cooking, quarterly for high-volume cooking, twice a year for moderate volume and yearly for low volume. Clean when buildup reaches the standard’s limit. Austin’s fire code sets a similar schedule. Houston says clean as often as needed.

Source ^[1]^[2]^[3]

The NFPA 96 inspection schedule

NFPA 96 is the National Fire Protection Association standard for ventilation control and fire protection of commercial cooking operations.^[4] Its Table 12.4 sets how often the exhaust system must be inspected for grease buildup by a trained, qualified and certified person acceptable to the authority having jurisdiction. The wording below is quoted from a third-party site that reprints the standard’s text. That site does not say which edition it quotes, so check the current edition with NFPA or your fire marshal.^[1]

NFPA 96 Table 12.4, schedule of inspection for grease buildup
Type or volume of cooking	Inspection frequency
Solid fuel cooking	Monthly^[1]
High-volume cooking, such as 24-hour cooking, charbroiling or wok cooking	Quarterly^[1]
Moderate-volume cooking	Semiannually^[1]
Low-volume cooking, such as churches, day camps, seasonal businesses or senior centers	Annually^[1]

The schedule is for inspection. Cleaning is required when the inspection finds buildup at the limits below. The same text also says metal containers that collect grease drippings must be inspected or emptied at least weekly, and that cooking equipment must be inspected and serviced at least once a year by trained and qualified people.^[1]

How much grease buildup means the hood must be cleaned?

NFPA 96 says to measure grease with a depth gauge comb. Clean the surfaces when buildup reaches 0.078 inch, or 0.125 inch inside a fan housing, and clean them down to 0.002 inch. Austin’s fire code says that when an inspection finds grease accumulation, the parts must be cleaned under ANSI/IKECA C10.

Source ^[1]^[2]

NFPA 96 also says hoods, grease removal devices, fans, ducts and other parts must be cleaned before surfaces become heavily contaminated with grease or oily sludge. Flammable solvents and other flammable cleaning aids may not be used, and cleaning chemicals may not be applied to fusible links or other detection devices of the fire suppression system.^[1]

How often must an Austin restaurant have its hood inspected?

Austin adopted the 2024 International Fire Code. Its Section 606.3 sets hood and duct inspections every 3 months for high-volume cooking, every 12 months for low volume, monthly for solid fuel and every 6 months for all other kitchens. Qualified individuals must inspect. The fire code official may approve other intervals.

Source ^[5]^[2]

The Austin Fire Department says the city adopted the 2024 edition of the International Fire Code, with local amendments, effective July 10, 2025.^[5] The adopting ordinance lists Section 606.2, which says where a Type I hood is required, among the sections Austin amended. It does not list Section 606.3, the inspection and cleaning rules summarized here.^[6] We read the section text on UpCodes, a third-party code viewer, not on a city website.^[2]

Austin Fire Code (2024 IFC) Table 606.3.3.1, commercial cooking system inspection frequency
Type of cooking operation	Inspection frequency
High-volume cooking, such as 24-hour cooking, charbroiling or wok cooking	3 months^[2]
Low-volume cooking, such as places of religious worship, seasonal businesses and senior centers	12 months^[2]
Solid fuel-burning cooking appliances	1 month^[2]
All other cooking operations	6 months^[2]

The same section says the hood ventilation must run at the required rate of air movement, with UL 1046 listed grease filters in place whenever equipment under the hood is used. Grease extractors, where installed, must run when the cooking equipment is used. The automatic fire-extinguishing system over the cooking line must be serviced as Section 904.14.5 requires.^[2]

What does Houston require for restaurant hood cleaning?

Houston Fire Department Standard 02 says commercial kitchen hoods, exhaust ducts, exhaust fans and related parts must be cleaned and inspected by approved personnel, following manufacturer guidelines, as often as needed to prevent excess grease. The hood fire suppression system must be inspected and service tagged at least every six months.

Source ^[3]

Standard 02 says the hood fire suppression inspection must also happen after any activation of the system, and must be done by an approved fire protection equipment company under NFPA 17 and 17A. It says that since January 1, 2008, by state regulation, all commercial kitchen hood fire protection systems must meet UL 300. Class K portable extinguishers must be inspected, tested and service tagged once a year.^[3]

Houston’s standard does not print a monthly or quarterly cleaning interval for the hood and ducts. It says “as often as necessary to prevent excess grease accumulations.” Ask the Houston Fire Department if you need a fixed number.^[3]

New Orleans: this page does not state a New Orleans hood cleaning rule, because we did not find a city fire department source to cite. Ask the New Orleans Fire Department. The New Orleans grease trap page covers the separate sewer rules.

What paperwork should a hood cleaning company leave?

NFPA 96 calls for a service company label near opened access panels, a certificate kept on the premises naming the company, the worker and the date, and a written report listing areas that were inaccessible or not cleaned. Austin’s code also requires records and a tag showing the provider’s name, address, phone and date.

Source ^[1]^[2]

A label or tag near each opened access panel, preprinted with the company name and giving the date of inspection or cleaning.^[1]
A certificate kept on the premises with the company name, the name of the person who did the work, and the date.^[1]
A written report that also lists areas that were inaccessible or not cleaned.^[1]
Austin: inspection records naming the individual and company, a description of the inspection and the date; cleaning records naming the individual, company and date; and a tag in a conspicuous location with the provider’s name, address, telephone number and date. Older tags are covered or removed.^[2]
Houston: a service tag on the hood fire suppression system at least every six months, from an approved fire protection equipment company.^[3]

Where the authority having jurisdiction requires it, NFPA 96 says the certificates and the reports of areas not cleaned must be submitted to that authority.^[1]

What to ask a hood cleaning company

These questions come straight from the rules above. They are not a ranking of companies, and we have not reviewed any hood cleaner.

Will you inspect and clean the hood, the ducts and the exhaust fan, not just the filters? NFPA 96 covers all of them and sets a separate buildup limit for the fan housing.^[1]
Will I get a certificate, a dated tag or label, and a written report that lists any areas you could not reach or did not clean?^[1]^[2]
Do you measure grease depth, and will you tell me if my inspection schedule should change?^[1]
What chemicals do you use? NFPA 96 bars flammable solvents, and cleaning chemicals may not be applied to fusible links or other detection devices.^[1]
Who services the fire suppression system? In Houston that inspection and tag come from an approved fire protection equipment company.^[3]

We do not publish hood cleaning prices. We have not surveyed them and did not find a source we would cite.

Is hood cleaning the same as grease trap cleaning?

No. Hood cleaning removes grease from the hood, ducts and exhaust fan above the cooking line, and the rules sit in fire codes. Grease trap pumping empties the tank that keeps grease out of the sewer, under sewer rules with their own schedule and hauler permit. Many kitchens need both services on separate schedules.

Source ^[2]^[7]^[8]

The grease trap rules are local sewer rules. Houston requires a full pump-out at least every 90 days unless a waiver is approved, and Austin at least every three months.^[9]^[8] The details are in the grease trap cleaning guide and on the Houston, Austin and New Orleans pages. Used fryer oil is a third, separate service, covered in the guide’s used cooking oil section.

Questions on this page

Each answer above is also the short answer in the matching section: how often, buildup limits, Austin, Houston, paperwork and hood versus grease trap. Rules change, and your fire marshal or insurer can set stricter terms. Confirm with your local fire department.

To ask about hood cleaning, choose “Hood cleaning” under Service needed. Most companies on our city lists are grease haulers, so we cannot promise a hood cleaner will reply.

Sources

Sources checked October 24, 2026.