Business and Financial Operations
Environmental Compliance Inspectors
Inspect and investigate sources of pollution to protect the public and environment and ensure conformance with Federal, State, and local regulations and ordinances.
MAY 2025 · OCCUPATIONAL WAGES
A wage reference for United States.
Published wage percentiles describe a distribution within the source occupation group. They provide context for a career decision; employer packages and job offers have their own terms.
Source wage group: Compliance Officers
This wage group may include multiple detailed occupations. The figures are for the source group, which may be broader than Environmental Compliance Inspectors. They are not an exact-title, employer, experience or seniority match.
May 2025 · USD · United States. Annual and hourly figures are shown only when the source publishes them; neither is calculated from the other.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics occupational wage data, distributed through the O*NET® OnLine service.
Median annual wage$80,730USD per year · Published 50th percentile
Median hourly wage$38.81USD per hour · Published 50th percentile
Annual wage thresholds
USD per year
Hourly wage thresholds
USD per hour
| Percentile | Annual wage (USD/year) | Hourly wage (USD/hour) |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $48,220 | $23.18 |
| 25th | $61,280 | $29.46 |
| 50th · Median | $80,730 | $38.81 |
| 75th | $109,010 | $52.41 |
| 90th | $133,720 | $64.29 |
“≥” means at least the published amount; “≤” means at most that amount. These are bounds, not exact values. “Not published” means the source did not provide that figure. Occupational wages follow the source definition and do not establish an employer’s base salary, equity or total compensation.
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THE WORK BEHIND THE TITLE
What this career involves.
Occupation definitions describe common work. Responsibilities and requirements vary by employer and specific job.
Selected title examples
Agricultural Chemicals InspectorAgricultural Chemicals Registration SpecialistAir Permitting and Enforcement InspectorAir Pollution InspectorAuthorized InspectorCertified Erosion, Sediment, and Storm Water Inspector (CESSWI)City SanitarianCompliance AnalystCompliance CoordinatorCompliance InvestigatorCompliance RepresentativeCompliance Representative Dealer
Expand more title examples (30)
Enforcement OfficerEnvironmental AdvisorEnvironmental Compliance CoordinatorEnvironmental Compliance EngineerEnvironmental Compliance InspectorEnvironmental Compliance ManagerEnvironmental Compliance SpecialistEnvironmental Compliance TechnicianEnvironmental Field SpecialistEnvironmental Health and Safety Advisor (EH & S)Environmental InspectorEnvironmental Protection SpecialistEnvironmental Quality AnalystField ExaminerField InvestigatorHazardous Waste Management SpecialistHazardous Waste SpecialistHealth InspectorIndustrial Waste InspectorPermit SpecialistPesticide Control InspectorProperty Preservation SpecialistRegulatory AnalystRegulatory Compliance SpecialistResource Conservation and Recovery Act Enforcement Officer (RCRA Enforcement Officer)Sanitation InspectorState InspectorToxics Program OfficerWaste Management SpecialistWater Pollution Control Inspector
Typical tasks
- 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.
Expand more tasks (20)
- Verify that hazardous chemicals are handled, stored, and disposed of in accordance with regulations.
- Learn and observe proper safety precautions, rules, regulations, and practices so that unsafe conditions can be recognized and proper safety protocols implemented.
- Monitor follow-up actions in cases where violations were found, and review compliance monitoring reports.
- Examine permits, licenses, applications, and records to ensure compliance with licensing requirements.
- Prepare written, oral, tabular, and graphic reports summarizing requirements and regulations, including enforcement and chain of custody documentation.
- Observe and record field conditions, gathering, interpreting, and reporting data such as flow meter readings and chemical levels.
- Determine sampling locations and methods, and collect water or wastewater samples for analysis, preserving samples with appropriate containers and preservation methods.
- Research and keep informed of pertinent information and developments in areas such as EPA laws and regulations.
- Participate in the development of spill prevention programs and hazardous waste rules and regulations, and recommend corrective actions for hazardous waste problems.
- Inspect waste pretreatment, treatment, and disposal facilities and systems for conformance to federal, state, or local regulations.
- Analyze and implement state, federal or local requirements as necessary to maintain approved pretreatment, pollution prevention, and storm water runoff programs.
- Evaluate label information for accuracy and conformance to regulatory requirements.
- Respond to questions and inquiries, such as those concerning service charges and capacity fees, or refer them to supervisors.
- Research and perform calculations related to landscape allowances, discharge volumes, production-based and alternative limits, and wastewater strength classifications, making recommendations and completing documentation.
- Perform laboratory tests on samples collected, such as analyzing the content of contaminated wastewater.
- Inform health professionals, property owners, and the public about harmful properties and related problems of water pollution and contaminated wastewater.
- Review and evaluate applications for registration of products containing dangerous materials, or for pollution control discharge permits.
- Conduct research on hazardous waste management projects to determine the magnitude of problems and treatment or disposal alternatives and costs.
- Maintain and repair materials, work sites, and equipment.
- Prepare data to calculate sewer service charges and capacity fees.
Skills used in this work
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Active Listening
- Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Writing
- Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Active Learning
- Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Expand more skills (29)
- Complex Problem Solving
- Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Operations Monitoring
- Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
- Systems Evaluation
- Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
- Quality Control Analysis
- Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
- Social Perceptiveness
- Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Systems Analysis
- Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Instructing
- Teaching others how to do something.
- Learning Strategies
- Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
- Mathematics
- Using mathematics to solve problems.
- Science
- Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Negotiation
- Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
- Service Orientation
- Actively looking for ways to help people.
- Persuasion
- Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
- Management of Personnel Resources
- Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
- Operation and Control
- Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
- Operations Analysis
- Analyzing needs and product requirements to create a design.
- Troubleshooting
- Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
- Technology Design
- Generating or adapting equipment and technology to serve user needs.
- Management of Financial Resources
- Determining how money will be spent to get the work done, and accounting for these expenditures.
- Management of Material Resources
- Obtaining and seeing to the appropriate use of equipment, facilities, and materials needed to do certain work.
- Programming
- Writing computer programs for various purposes.
- Equipment Maintenance
- Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.
- Equipment Selection
- Determining the kind of tools and equipment needed to do a job.
- Installation
- Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or programs to meet specifications.
- Repairing
- Repairing machines or systems using the needed tools.
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