Environmental Compliance Inspectors
Agriculture, Food and Natural ResourcesO*NET 13-1041.01United States
Inspect and investigate sources of pollution to protect the public and environment and ensure conformance with Federal, State, and local regulations and ordinances.
- Median annual earnings
- $80,590
- Projected change
- +6.7%
- Typical education
- Bachelor's degree
- Employment
- 435.38K jobs
50th percentile, United States
2025 to 2035
75% of the workforce
Growing to 464.67K by 2035
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These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.
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The work
What environmental compliance inspectors do
Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.
- 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.
- Learn and observe proper safety precautions, rules, regulations, and practices so that unsafe conditions can be recognized and proper safety protocols implemented.
- Examine permits, licenses, applications, and records to ensure compliance with licensing requirements.
- Monitor follow-up actions in cases where violations were found, and review compliance monitoring reports.
- 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.
Pay and outlook
What the job pays and where it is heading
Annual earnings range
Reported earnings by percentile, United States
- 10th percentile
- $48,005
- 25th percentile
- $61,129
- 50th percentile
- $80,590
- 75th percentile
- $109,168
- 90th percentile
- $134,126
The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $80,590 and half earn less.
Employment outlook
2025 to 2035 projection
+6.7%faster than average
2025435,376 jobs
2035 projected464,669 jobs
29,293 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.
Preparation
Education levels
What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.
- Bachelor's degree
- 75%
- Associate degree
- 15%
- High school diploma or less
- 10%
Skills
Skills employers ask for
Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.
How the work gets done
Core competencies
Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Writing
- Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- 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.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Active Learning
- Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Complex Problem Solving
- Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- 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.
- Operations Monitoring
- Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
- Social Perceptiveness
- Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Quality Control Analysis
- Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
- Systems Analysis
- Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
- Learning Strategies
- Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
- Science
- Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.
- Mathematics
- Using mathematics to solve problems.
- Instructing
- Teaching others how to do something.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
In the market
Job titles and employers
Recent job postings in United StatesCommon job titles
- 01Environmental Compliance Specialists599 postings
- 02Environmental Managers574 postings
- 03Environmental Permitting Specialists321 postings
- 04Discipline Coordinators228 postings
- 05Air Quality Consultants147 postings
- 06Landfill Managers142 postings
- 07Permitting Specialists141 postings
- 08Environmental Consultants140 postings
- 09Environmental Program Managers140 postings
- 10Environmental Health and Safety Managers120 postings
- 11Compliance Engineers119 postings
- 12Environmental Technicians108 postings
- 13Environmental Inspectors106 postings
- 14Subject Matter Experts104 postings
- 15Environmental Professionals103 postings
- 16Environmentalists103 postings
- 17Water/Wastewater Operators95 postings
- 18Engineers92 postings
- 19Specialists92 postings
- 20Principal Consultants81 postings
Top employers
- 01Stantec357 postings
- 02CDM Smith253 postings
- 03Ramboll188 postings
- 04Jacobs Solutions140 postings
- 05Erm Company S.R.O.139 postings
- 06Olsson127 postings
- 07Amazon121 postings
- 08Merck & Co.119 postings
- 09St George Tanaq Corporation118 postings
- 10Actalent110 postings
- 11WSP Global108 postings
- 12Republic Services106 postings
- 13Walt Disney105 postings
- 14Parexel101 postings
- 15Eli Lilly93 postings
- 16Waste Management92 postings
- 17Interstate Waste Services84 postings
- 18MITRE Corporation84 postings
- 19Commonwealth Of Pennsylvania83 postings
- 20Honeywell International78 postings
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