The City's Role
Federal and State laws such as the Clean Water Act require cities to set rules and enforce regulations that protect their sewer and stormwater systems and its watersheds. Environmental Services works with Portland residents, industries, and businesses to meet those regulations and to protect the environment, infrastructure, and public health from harmful pollutants.
What are enforcement actions?
Enforcement actions are a written notice of a violation to a Responsible Party that may include corrective actions and the payment of civil penalties. The City’s Environmental Compliance Division assesses civil penalties for violations of Portland City Code, Environmental Services administrative rules, and Environmental Services-issued environmental permits.
Enforcement goals are to:
- Prevent future violations that may be harmful to the environment or public health.
- Protect publicly owned infrastructure.
- Encourage compliance with local, state, and federal environmental laws by removing an economic benefit for non-compliance.
- Recover any costs associated with repairing, cleaning, or replacing public infrastructure, such as sewer system components and stormwater facilities.
- Provide notification to the public when a business or industry’s practices threaten public health, the environment, or publicly owned infrastructure.
Penalty amounts for violations are based on:
- Level of threat or impact to public infrastructure, the environment, or public health;
- Severity and duration of the violation;
- Responsible Party’s actions to correct the violation upon discovery or notification from Environmental Services; and
- Compliance history of the Responsible Party.
How to respond to an enforcement action
- Review the notice and all enclosures;
- Contact the Case Manager or Permit Manager listed in the cover letter for questions on required actions and listed violations; and
- Complete the required actions and meet the deadlines listed in the notice.
If the enforcement action has an associated civil penalty, a separate notice will be sent within 20 business days with a final determination of civil penalties, followed by an invoice with payment instructions.
Find BES Program Administrative Rules listed in the notice
Find Portland City Code listed in the notice
A Responsible Party may request a review and/or reconsideration of an Environmental Services issued enforcement action, notice or decision. The purpose of this review is to determine if City Code and Environmental Services administrative rules were applied accurately and consistently when issuing the enforcement action, discharge permit, written order, required actions, or penalty amount. The Enforcement Program Administrative Rules ENB-4.15 describe how Environmental Services assesses violations of Portland City Code, administrative rules, and permits related to our Environmental Programs.
Learn more about how to request an administrative review from Environmental Services.
How to prevent violations
Help prevent pollution by following available best management practices. Each page provides links to relevant City Code and guidance on ways to prevent pollution.
Request a public record
Want more information about an enforcement action from the report? Submit a public record request. Be sure to include the enforcement action reference number from the report in your request.
Submit a public records request
Report a spill
If you see a spill or suspect pollution, learn how to report an environmental concern.