Environmental Compliance Inspectors

Career Overview

Inspect and investigate sources of pollution to protect the public and environment and ensure conformance with Federal, State, and local regulations and ordinances.

Also Known As

Enforcement Officer
Environmental Inspector
Environmental Protection Specialist
Environmental Quality Analyst

Alternate Job Titles

Agricultural Chemicals Inspector
Agricultural Chemicals Registration Specialist
Air Permitting and Enforcement Inspector
Air Pollution Inspector
Authorized Inspector
Certified Erosion, Sediment, and Storm Water Inspector (CESSWI)
City Sanitarian
Compliance Analyst
Compliance Coordinator
Compliance Investigator
Compliance Representative
Compliance Representative Dealer
Enforcement Officer
Environmental Advisor
Environmental Compliance Coordinator

What You'll Do

In this role, your typical responsibilities include:

Determine the nature of code violations and actions to be taken, and issue written notices of violation, participating in enforcement hearings, as necessary.
Prepare, organize, and maintain inspection records.
Investigate complaints and suspected violations regarding illegal dumping, pollution, pesticides, product quality, or labeling laws.
Determine which sites and violation reports to investigate, and coordinate compliance and enforcement activities with other government agencies.
Interview individuals to determine the nature of suspected violations and to obtain evidence of violations.
Inform individuals and groups of pollution control regulations and inspection findings, and explain how problems can be corrected.
Verify that hazardous chemicals are handled, stored, and disposed of in accordance with regulations.

Knowledge You'll Use

You'll need solid knowledge in these areas:

English Language
Law and Government

Essential Skills

Success in this career requires strong skills in:

Reading Comprehension
Critical Thinking
Active Listening
Writing
Speaking
Active Learning
Monitoring
Complex Problem Solving

Key Abilities

This career requires key abilities in:

Problem Sensitivity
Oral Comprehension
Oral Expression
Deductive Reasoning
Inductive Reasoning
Written Comprehension
Flexibility of Closure
Written Expression
Near Vision
Information Ordering

What Matters in This Career

This career tends to satisfy these work values:

Achievement
Working Conditions
Support
Independence
Recognition

Education & Preparation

Typical Education: Bachelor's Degree

On-the-Job Training: Over 6 months, up to and including 1 year

Education Details: Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.

Experience Required: A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.

Technology You'll Use

Popular Technologies & Software

Adobe Acrobat
Autodesk AutoCAD
Microsoft Access
Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Office software
Microsoft Outlook
Microsoft PowerPoint
Microsoft Project
Microsoft SharePoint
Microsoft Word

Tools & Equipment

Aluminum ladders
Atmosphere monitors
Bacon bomb samplers
Benthic grab samplers
Bladder pumps
Bottom fill bailers
Box corers
Bucket augers
Centrifugal water sampling pumps
Chlorine samplers
Chlorophyll-a probes
Colorimetric field sampling devices
Composite liquid waste samplers COLIWASA
Conductance meters
Continuous flame ionization detectors FID

Work Environment

Telephone Conversations
E-Mail
Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
Contact With Others
Deal With External Customers or the Public in General

Salary & Job Market

Wages reported for the broader Compliance Officers occupational group (BLS 2024), which includes Environmental Compliance Inspectors.

Salary Percentile	Annual Wage
Entry-Level (10th percentile)	$46,230
Median	$78,420
Top Earners (90th percentile)	$130,030

Workers Employed Nationally: 397,770