Environmental Violations

Are you concerned about an environmental situation within your community but don't know where to go for answers? To report any type of activity you suspect may not be in compliance with federal environmental regulations, click on the badge above or call the EPA office in your region of the country. Information is also provided on the difference between environmental violations and environmental emergencies.

What types of activities might be considered environmental violations?

An environmental violation occurs when an activity or an existing condition does not comply with an environmental law or regulation. Environmental violations can include (but are not limited to):

Smoke or other emissions from local industrial facilities;
Tampering with emission control or air conditioning systems in automobiles;
Improper treatment, storage, or disposal of hazardous wastes;
Exceedances of pollutant limits at publicly-owned wastewater treatment plants;
Unpermitted dredging or filling of waters and wetlands;
Any unpermitted industrial activity;
Late night dumping or any criminal activity including falsifying reports or other documents.

What is the difference between environmental violations and environmental emergencies?

An environmental violation is a situation which does not comply with an existing environmental law or regulation. An environmental emergency is a sudden threat to the public health, or the well-being of the environment, arising from the release or potential release of oil, radioactive materials, or hazardous chemicals into the air, land, or water.

Examples of environmental emergencies include:

Oil and chemical spills
Radiological and biological discharges
Accidents causing releases of pollutants

If you are involved in or witness an environmental emergency, you must call the National Response Center at: 1-800-424-8802. For more information, see the Concerned Citizens page on Environmental Emergencies.

Where do I report a suspected violation?

Many issues are handled at the local level. You may first want to try contacting your local government office for concerns about trash, litter, strange odors, recycling pickup, and household chemical disposal, including paints, pesticides, oil, antifreeze, etc. You can find information about your local government in the blue pages of your telephone book or by contacting your public library.

For concerns that may not be handled at the local level, the next step is to contact your state environmental agency. Information about state agencies can be found in the blue pages of your telephone book as well.

If you need to contact EPA regarding a suspected violation of an environmental regulation, select the region where the activity is occurring by clicking within the area of the map covered by the region, choose your state in the pull-down menu below and select "Go" to go directly to your region, or use the links located below the map to go directly to a region.

EPA has ten regional offices, each of which is responsible for several states and territories. To get information about your region, select your state or territory from this list or from the map below.

Map of the US, split into EPA regions

Region 1 - (888)372-7341
Call this number to report suspected violations within the states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut.

Region 2 - (212) 637-4080
Call this number to report suspected violations within the states of New York and New Jersey. In Puerto Rico or US Virgin Islands, call (787) 729-6826.

Region 3 - (800) 438-2474
Call this number to report suspected violations within the states of Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia.

Region 4 - 1 (800) 241-1754 or (404) 562-9900
Call this number to report suspected violations within the states of Mississippi, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, South Carolina, North Carolina.

Region 5 - (312) 353-2000
Call this number to report suspected violations within the states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin.

Region 6 - (214) 665-2210 or (800) 887-6063 (Region 6 states only)
Call this number to report suspected violations within the states of Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas.

Region 7 - (800) 223-0425
Call this number to report suspected violations within the states of Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska.

Region 8 - (303)-312-6312 or (800) 227-8917 (Region 8 states only)
Call this number to report suspected violations within the states of Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming.

Region 9 - (415) 947-8713
Call this number to report suspected violations within the states of Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, and the territories of Guam and American Samoa.

Region 10 - (206) 553-4973 or (800) 424-4372
Call this number to report suspected violations within the states of Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington.

Environmental Violations

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