Enforcement & Compliance

How do I make an environmental complaint or express my concern about a site?

Monthly Enforcement Reports

Guidance (enforcement & compliance)

The cornerstone of Maine DEP's compliance programs is our long-standing commitment to close monitoring and equitable enforcement of our laws. There is a proud tradition of taking our environmental laws seriously, and an unwavering expectation from Maine people that we will enforce those laws. As a result, DEP maintains compliance programs that we understand rival any other in the country for consistency, and for timely and appropriate responses to noncompliance.

Maine uses specific tools and sometimes unique terminology to identify a regulated entity's compliance status and those enforcement actions taken as a result of noncompliance including:

  • Letter of Warning
  • Notice of Violation
  • Administrative Consent Agreement
  • 80K Action
  • Referral to the Office of the Maine Attorney General

The Maine DEP Non-Compliance Response Guidance provides much more information on the enforcement tools available to DEP and our approach in applying them.

Opportunity for Comment

Recent legislation authorizes the DEP Commissioner to manage consent agreements for the agency. Certain pending administrative consent agreements are required to be posted for public comment. If there are any currently posted, they will appear below along with contact information and a comment deadline.

Public Notice of Pending Administrative Consent Agreement and Opportunity for Public Comment Pursuant to 38 M.R.S.A. §347-A(6)

US EPA Enforcement and Compliance History Online (ECHO)

ECHO provides access to data in several major EPA national databases. It's important to understand differences in State and Federal vocabulary and policy when looking at Maine-specific compliance and enforcement status reported in ECHO. Please see Maine information relating to US EPA ECHO.