TR19 Grease Compliance for Midlands Kitchens
What the standard asks for, how often to clean, and the records your insurer and fire risk assessor expect.
If you run a commercial kitchen in Birmingham, the Black Country, Solihull, Coventry, Warwickshire, Nottingham, Derby or Leicester, the standard your extract system is judged against is TR19 Grease. This guide explains what it asks for, how often a kitchen needs cleaning, and what paperwork you should have.
Page reviewed 5 October 2026 by Midlands Canopy Cleaning, a quote-arranging service. The cleaning is carried out by an independent specialist provider.
What TR19 Grease is
TR19 Grease is a specification published by BESA in 2019 for managing the fire risk from grease in kitchen extract systems. It replaced the grease section of the older TR19 document, which now covers general ventilation hygiene. It sets out how often systems should be cleaned, how clean is clean enough, how the work should be done and what the post-clean report should contain.
How often a kitchen needs cleaning
| Daily cooking | Usage band | Minimum clean | Typical local kitchens |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12–16 hours | Heavy | Every 3 months | Takeaways, curry houses, chip shops, city-centre restaurants open all day |
| 6–12 hours | Moderate | Every 6 months | Most restaurants, pub kitchens, hotel kitchens |
| 2–6 hours | Light | Every 12 months | Cafés, school kitchens, small care home kitchens |
These are minimums. The real interval should come from the grease readings taken at each clean, the type of cooking and how the menu changes through the year. Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service's fire safety audits check whether extract systems are subject to suitable systems of maintenance.
How clean is clean enough
TR19 Grease sets a limit of a mean 200 microns of grease across the system between cleans — roughly half the thickness of a business card. Any reading of 500 microns or more needs an immediate spot clean. Deposits are measured with a wet film thickness test or a deposit thickness test before and after the clean, so the certificate proves the result.
What has to be cleaned
The whole extraction route: canopies, filters, plenums, risers, horizontal ductwork, the extract fan and the discharge point. Access panels are fitted at regular intervals — typically every two to three metres where the layout allows — so every section can be reached. A canopy-only clean does not meet the standard. See TR19 extract cleaning, ductwork cleaning and fan cleaning.
The post-clean report
You should receive before-and-after photographs from matching positions, the grease test results, a written summary including any areas that could not be reached, and a hygiene certificate with the date, the location and the name of the technician. Keep it with your fire risk assessment — it is the first thing a loss adjuster asks for after a fire.
Why it matters locally
Fire services across the Midlands regularly report kitchen fires that start in, or spread to, the ducting. In December 2022 West Midlands Fire Service reported that a fire at a fish and chip shop on Lower High Street, Cradley Heath, “started accidentally in ducting” (WMFS incident report). In February 2022 the service said a fire at a fast food restaurant on Jubilee Crescent, Coventry, started in an extraction duct (CoventryLive). In January 2024 Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service said a kitchen fire at a bingo hall in Burton upon Trent “started in a fryer in the kitchen and spread to the extractor/ventilation system” (Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service). Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service tells people living above a business that ducting from the business can be dangerous, adding: “If the ducting is properly encased and kept clean, this isn't something to worry about.” (Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service).
Insurance and the Fire Safety Order
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 requires the responsible person to assess and reduce fire risk, and kitchen extract belongs in that assessment. Most commercial kitchen insurance policies also carry a condition that the extract is cleaned to a recognised standard. Without the certificates, a claim after a grease fire can be reduced or refused.
Food hygiene
Council food safety officers score the condition and cleanliness of the premises, and a greasy canopy and dripping filters count against you. In England you do not have to display your food hygiene rating sticker, but customers can look it up online and on delivery apps.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is kitchen extract cleaning a legal requirement in England?
There is no law that names TR19, but the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 requires the responsible person for a business premises to assess and reduce fire risk, and a grease-laden extract is a recognised fire risk. TR19 Grease is the standard insurers and fire risk assessors use to judge whether that risk is being managed.
How often does TR19 say a kitchen extract should be cleaned?
Minimums are set by daily cooking hours: every three months for 12 to 16 hours a day, every six months for 6 to 12 hours, every twelve months for 2 to 6 hours. The actual interval should follow the grease readings, so a heavy-frying kitchen can need cleaning more often.
What grease level fails TR19?
TR19 Grease sets a mean limit of 200 microns across the system between cleans. Any reading of 500 microns or more calls for an immediate spot clean.
Does cleaning the filters count?
No. Filters should be cleaned daily or as the manufacturer instructs, but no filter stops all the grease. The canopy, ductwork and fan still need a professional clean.
Who inspects this in the Midlands?
Fire safety in Birmingham, the Black Country, Solihull and Coventry is enforced by West Midlands Fire Service. Elsewhere it falls to Warwickshire, Staffordshire, Hereford & Worcester, Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire or Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service. Food hygiene is inspected by the local city, borough or district council, such as Birmingham City Council. Your insurer will also ask for certificates after any claim.
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